Self-defence classes welcomed, but women want more to be done to make them feel safe

Students on the North-West University’s Potchefstroom campus welcomed self-defence classes during Safety Awareness Week. But some feel even more needs to be done to make women feel safe on campus.

This emerged after the Student Campus Council (SCC) office of Transformation and Diversity (TAD) hosted its first annual Safety Awareness Week, which ended early in March.

In January, Buhle Siko, the SCC officer of TAD, did a survey on women’s safety on campus. Of the 1,010 participants, about 96% said they felt safe on campus. The other 4%, however, said they are worried – especially about thieves stealing bicycles and personal belongings.

This was enough for her to act on, because women’s safety on campus has always been a concern, she said. She dealt with this during her term as house committee member (HC) in Heide residence, and as SCC her goal is to identify issues students deal with and equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills through events hosted during the year.  

During Safety Awareness Week, the university aimed to raise awareness and promote student participation and proactivity about safety, particularly for women on campus with slogans that ranged from “stay safe, stay smart” to “are we really safe?”.

But students like Masego Mosikare, an honours student in curriculum studies, public governance and administration, raised concerns about loadshedding and its impact on campus safety as they tend to study at night in the 24-hour computer labs on campus.

The duikweg, a tunnel that connects the campus with the residences, is a spot that students worry about. Some do not believe there really are cameras in that area to ensure safety for women, regardless of the sign indicating CCTV surveillance.

The concerns are not new. When Shanic Minnie, a final-year education student, was in her first year, a man approached her at the shopping centre opposite the main entrance to the North-West University (NWU). He started a conversation, asking her where she lived. She told him. Later, Minnie and her friends walked through the duikweg where the man waited. He followed them, eventually asking for her contact details, which she lied about. “That night I was not feeling at ease. I was just a bit scared,” Minnie said.

The NWU released a statement on its learning management system, eFundi, on 8 March saying Johan Naude from the Cachet Park City Improvement District (CID) and his team urged students to not walk alone and to remain safe and responsible around the campus. They have observed an increase in pickpocket incidents around the Bult area during the evenings.

Siko also emphasised that students should be vigilant and report any incidents to the relevant safety stakeholders on campus.

She said she was satisfied and impressed with the turnout during safety awareness week. She said she received positive feedback from the students at the self-defence talk. “The students felt it was a good initiative from the institution to equip them with basic self-defence skills for unexpected circumstances.

Looking ahead, Siko said she prefers presenting these educational events in the most fun and engaging way possible. “Forget about the fact that it’s boring, go there for your own safety, it doesn’t matter how boring it is, go there and go hear about what the safety stakeholders have to say about your safety on campus,” she said.

Upcoming events under Siko’s office include Wellness Week in May as well as Diversity Week in August.