Students at UKZN Westville Campus engage with police officials during the launch of the Campus Community Safety Forum on 30 September 2025. Image: Nothando Mtshali.
(The Post News)– The Police Ministry conducted the official start of the Campus Community Safety Forum (CCSF) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Westville Campus. This is a significant step to make students safer across all higher education institutions in South Africa. The CCSF launch falls under a bigger plan by the South African Police Service (SAPS). They aim to ensure safe environments for learning and encourage cooperation between students, university authorities, and law enforcement bodies.
Today began a two-day gathering where UKZN leaders, SAPS members, and community key persons came together to discuss new methods for dealing with crime at the campus and making sure students feel secure while studying. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Police says this project goes beyond just police work; it involves everyone in the campus community taking responsibility together.
“Safety on campus is not only connected with the presence of law enforcement,” said the representative. “It needs active involvement from students, teaching staff, and security officers. This forum gives a space where every voice can be listened to, worries tackled, and solutions put into action collectively.”
The Safety Forum for Campus Community is created to serve as an official setup for interaction and prevention of crime in universities. This forum allows students and staff to report any criminal activities, join awareness movements, and work together on community policing projects. One more goal of CCSF is to build a trustworthy relationship between students and the police force so that safety issues can be handled promptly and efficiently.
In the launch today, they talked about present safety problems that UKZN students are dealing with. These include stealing, physical attacks, and different types of crimes on campus. The university authorities stressed how crucial it is for students to be empowered to actively participate in ensuring their own safety. Representatives from SAPS provided understanding into how these kinds of discussions have effectively decreased crime at other higher learning institutions all over the nation.
UKZN CCSF Pledge Marks Commitment to Safer Learning Environments
The initial stage of the launch gave a chance for active dialogues, with UKZN students and staff sharing their thoughts and worries. This cooperative method highlights the Ministry of Police’s dedication to making campuses more secure and additionally inclusive places for education.
The next stage of the launch, planned for 1 October 2025, will be when they officially sign the safety pledge and start up CCSF at UKZN. They hope this phase will strengthen our cooperative security framework that gives students and staff a dependable continuous support network. The pledge is a commitment from everyone involved to take part in crime prevention activities actively and maintain safe conditions on campus.
Vincent Mukhathi, a lieutenant colonel who has been playing a key role in organizing the forum, highlighted that this initiative is an example for universities all over the country. “By creating an arranged forum here at UKZN, we are making a standard that can be copied throughout South Africa. The protection of our students is most important, and such forums ensure that campuses stay safe places for learning and development,” he mentioned.
The start of the CCSF goes together with SAPS’ countrywide plan to boost safety projects based in communities. This project understands that fighting crime on campus needs many people working together, mixing policing, teaching, and students taking part to create strong and secure university neighborhoods.
With the success of today’s initial stage, it is the aspiration of both the Ministry of Police and SAPS that CCSF at UKZN will evolve into a model for other higher education institutions throughout the nation. This would show how joint efforts between law enforcement and university communities can proficiently tackle safety issues, creating a safe learning atmosphere for every student.
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