According to SAPS statement: Major General Thokozani Mathonsi, representing the South African Police Service (SAPS), delivers the keynote address at Day 2 of the Campus Community Safety Forum (CCSF) launch, expressing gratitude to all attendees and reaffirming the value of partnership between SAPS and the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).
On his statement Mathonsi highlighted the importance or key point the community Safety Patrollers are playing it around the campus.
He said “As SAPS, we are honoured to join forces with TUT, Whatever happens in society affects our universities, collaboration is vital if we want to see real change.”
Major General Mathonsi raises concern over the many crimes on campuses that go unreported, reminding students that prevention must become a shared priority.
He said “We need to focus on preventing incidents before they happen. It is important that we adopt a more proactive, robust, and holistic approach to safety.
“We have witnessed gruesome acts of criminality in institutions across the country, and we do not want to see that here or anywhere else.”
He stresses that the era of social media means a single act of violence can spread nationwide in seconds, making prevention more critical than ever.
Mathonsi said “Crime has the potential to derail learning. Issues like drug abuse, gang activity, alcohol misuse, and taxi violence all affect our students.
“Sadly, many of these crimes are committed by young people who should be in classrooms, not on the wrong side of the law.”
General Mathonsi calls for a united front against these risks[members to join hand to hand to stop crimes around campus].
Mathonsi said “Universities cannot stand on the sidelines. Criminal infiltration of campuses is a real threat, and we need a collective response.
“Students are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”
He closes with a challenge to all stakeholders[all the sort of public Protectors/officers to not step aside but rather join the struggle].
Mathonsi said “Our mandate is to protect students and bring perpetrators to justice, but this requires collaboration from everyone, SAPS, university management, security companies, and the broader community.
“A launch like this means nothing without action. This structure is about proactive crime prevention, not reaction.”
BY LUCKY SEANEGO
