Many heads of tertiary institutions have security guards

IOL 04 March 2023

The South African parliament has expressed concern over the threats made to vice-chancellors and personnel as well as related safety and security at institutions of higher learning. Higher Education Portfolio Committee Chairperson Nompendulo Mkhatshwa said they noted that at every institution they visited they learned about groups “demanding from the institution’s resources”, writes Mayibongwe Maqhina for Cape Times.

“As a sector we can’t normalise that behaviour,” said Mkhatshwa while speaking as the portfolio met the Department of Higher Education and Training on Friday 24 February. Mkhatshwa said that during their oversight visits, they found that principals or vice-chancellors at Durban University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology and Umfolozi TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) College were provided with security guards.

In January, the University of Fort Hare Vice-Chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu’s bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele, was shot dead in what was believed to be a hit on Buhlungu. “That is not healthy. That is not normal. The safety of their lives as leaders of institutions and as members of our community is highly concerning.”
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