The Students Representative Council at the University of Limpopo  (UL) in Mankweng outside Polokwane has expressed concerns over incidents of mugging of students who reside off-campus.

The SRC says it receives reports of crime against students regularly. The university utilises accredited off-campus facilities to accommodate some of its students, due to limited accommodation on campus.

SRC president Kamogelo Poto has called for heightened police visibility between off-campus residences and the university.

“The lack of patrolling in the area, particularly gates one, two, and three, by the police is actually putting students at risk of being mugged or raped. Because I don’t think there’s a criminal in South Africa that can just go and steal when there’s visible patrolling. These are the issues that we have been raising as the SRC, consistently ever since we got into our positions, to say that we need this Mankweng police station to be well capacitated,” says Poto.

Meanwhile, Limpopo police spokesperson, Hlulani Mashaba, says they have established a partnership with institutions of higher learning to tackle crime on campuses.

“As SAPS Limpopo, we have established structured partnerships to combat crime effectively in institutions of higher learning as well as TVET colleges. As SAPS, we are also actively engaging with institutions of higher learning, including TVET colleges across the province, to establish campus community forums. These forums serve as a collective force to tackle crime within higher education institutions; we remain dedicated to fostering safety at educational institutions and establishing structured partnerships between law enforcement and universities.”