PORT ELIZABETH - NMU 3 DAY SHUTDOWN ENDS AS ACADEMIC ACTIVITIES RESUME TODAY

A three-day university shutdown has seen all face-to-face lectures at Nelson Mandela University campuses put on hold.

Student representative council president Bamanye Matiwane said student safety had been an ongoing issue and needed to be treated “with the urgency it deserves”.

The university management said on Monday the previous set of demands around safety and security issues had been addressed.

The SRC said on Wednesday the university had failed to deliver on:

● The introduction of a biometric system to control access to various buildings;

● Fencing and access control systems;

● Number plate recognition technology and visitor identification verification;

● Student transport – particularly for off-campus residences;

● Off-campus housing and patrols; and

● Security officer training and digitisation.

“The response by the police and the Metro Police has been somewhat inefficient and to a large extent ineffective as there have been few to no reports of arrests or convictions to date,” Matiwane said

“More worrisome is the silence and inaction of the university management, NMU protection services department and the management of offcampus accredited residences.”

Matiwane said at the time of the interview they were yet to meet with the university management to establish a way forward.

On Wednesday morning, NMU spokesperson Zandile Mbabela said the university could give an official response only after all meetings with management and student representatives were concluded.

There was a meeting in the morning which ended at about 1pm, followed by a meeting with the SRC that started at 5pm.

Mbabela said although a full statement would still be issued, the university had been implementing its safety and security strategy over time and continued to do so.

“The issues raised by the students last week have been addressed, with additional security deployed from Monday August 26.

“The stronger university WiFi has been extended to accredited off-campus residences and the work continues towards having this go live.

“It is important to note that the implementation of the strategy – which is anchored on, among others, the effective use of technology, upskilling of security staff and stakeholder collaborations – is ongoing,” Mbabela said.

She said on-campus academic activities and operations would resume on Thursday.

via - HERALDLIVE