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Safety and Security

BSafe

Safety and Security

First-year students: Your safety comes first

22 January 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studio)

Safety read more — First-year students: Your safety comes first

Welcome to the first-year students at the University of the Free State (UFS) and best wishes for the 2020 academic year. We value your safety at all our three campuses and call on you to familiarise yourself with all safety features.
From safety off-campus and at residences, to personal security in general, the university has measures in place to ensure your well-being. Here are some of the resources available to you:

24/7 Operational Centres
Protection Services consistently works towards ensuring that security is tight on UFS campuses through its 24/7 Operational Centres. Emergencies and crime incidents that affect students may be reported at the centres. The certification of documents and drafting of affidavits are also facilitated at these centres.

Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) Cameras
All campuses are monitored by CCTV cameras on a 24/7 basis. A process is under way to further enhance cameras to cover hotspots. Recently 107 cameras were upgraded to improve the safety of students. The adequacy of lighting was assessed and a process is under way to improve lighting on campuses where weak spots were observed.

Red pole alarms (panic buttons)
Red pole alarms fitted with cameras were installed around the Bloemfontein Campus which are linked to the Operational Centre. Alarms are tested daily and any problems are attended to immediately. A process also under way to install red pole alarms on the South Campus.

Security Patrols
Security patrols are conducted on a daily basis on foot and by vehicles on all campuses to respond to student complaints and for visibility.

Security at residences
Security Officers are deployed around the female residences at night. Monthly liaison meetings are held between Protection Services with Housing and Residence Affairs to discuss areas for improvement and alternative options to ensure security.

Dedicated Investigating Officers
An investigating officer is on standby 24/7 who is available to students and staff who has a fully entrenched relationship with the South African Police Service (SAPS) Investigation Unit. All complaints are fully investigated, and cases being handled by SAPS investigators are also followed up by Protection Services.

Accreditation of off-campus residences
The Housing and Residence Affairs department, in collaboration with Protection Services, has conducted an assessment of off-campus student residences to check whether security at the facilities is adequate.

Student Crime Stop WhatsApp group
A WhatsApp group consisting of students, members of SAPS, the Community Police Forum (CPF), Sector Policing, Protection Services, and armed security companies was set up to share safety and security concerns experienced by students.

Dedicated security and SAPS vehicles deployed at identified hotspots
Security patrols are conducted at areas such as Brandwag, Willows and Universitas, where a large number of students live. In addition, joint crime awareness sessions with the SAPS are held to address issues that arise from time to time.

Distribution of whistles
The whistle project, in collaboration with SAPS, CPF and armed response companies, is currently under way. The UFS has purchased 10 000 whistles which will be distributed to students at all campuses.

Community Police Forum (CPF) membership
The UFS is represented on CPF committees. In the near future a CPF will be established on the Bloemfontein Campus to ensure student participation.

Emergency Services: Bloemfontein Campus
Protection Services: +27 51 401 2911 | +27 51 401 2634 | 0800 204 682
Ambulance: +27 80 005 1051 | 10177
Social worker: +27 73 182 3048
Kovsie Health: +27 51 401 2603

Emergency Services: South Campus
Protection Services: +27 51 505 1217
Ambulance: +27 80 005 1051 | 10177
Social worker: +27 73 182 3048
Kovsie Health: +27 51 401 2603

Emergency Services: Qwaqwa Campus
Protection Services: +27 58 718 5460 | +27 58 718 5175 | +27 58 718 5360
Ambulance: 10177
Social worker: +27 58 718 5090 | +27 58 718 5091
Kovsie Health: +27 58 718 5210

News Archive

Another boost for sport at the UFS

2005-10-13

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has officially appointed Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd, which has former Springbok rugby captain Morné du Plessis as managing director, to manage its Centre for Exercise and Sport Science Services (CESSS) on the Bloemfontein campus.

According to Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is another step in the implementation of the UFS’s wide-ranging sport strategy to improve sport facilities and elevate formerly marginalized sports such as soccer, hockey, netball, tennis etc.

Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is the manager of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and coordinates and manages the national basketball high-performance programme of SA Basketball, as well as the Boxing Academy on behalf of Boxing South Africa.

“It is also actively involved with the sports plans of several tertiary institutions like that of the University of Johannesburg and the University of Stellenbosch,” said Prof Verschoor.

“Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was also appointed by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation to manage the allocation of sports codes to high-performance centres and to oversee the allocation of monies received from the National Lottery to these centres – this includes the CESSS at the UFS,” Prof Verschoor added.

In unfolding its national sports plan, the Ministry of Sport and Recreation has already identified the UFS-based CESSS as the high-performance testing centre for the national basketball teams whilst the national boxing teams are also earmarked to be trained at the UFS.

“We are glad to be associated with a company of this stature and look forward to work with them in the further development of sports at the UFS,” said Prof Verschoor.

According to Prof Verschoor, the CESSS will act as a centralised body that is responsible for the coordination and management of joint initiatives between professional service providers, research projects and KovsieSport.

“The centre will also coordinate and manage joint initiatives between various academic programmes in different academic subject fields such as sports medicine, bio kinetics, physiotherapy, dietetics, etc. ,” said Prof Verschoor.

These initiatives will help the UFS to become a centre and catalyst of sports development, to become internationally recognised in the field of exercise and sports science research and to become a centre for high quality sports performance enhancement.

Some of the objectives of the CESSS are:

To provide sports science services like to athletes, students, the general public and other stakeholders including certain national sport teams.
To provide the necessary teaching and training facilities and internship opportunities for UFS students in sports related fields of study will also be provided by the centre like human movement science.
To present skills-transfer programmes directed at the broader community like development of skills in various sporting codes.
To continue and extend the current chronic risk reversal programmes presented by the Department of Human Movement Science such as obesity management, cardiac rehabilitation and other lifestyle related conditions.

The centre was founded in 2003 and was until now managed by Dr Louis Holtzhausen, from Kovsie Health and a consultant, Dr Gary Vorster.

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed today by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The manager of the centre appointed by Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is Mr Charles Store, an alumnus of the UFS, previously employed at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and by the SANDF at 3 Military Hospital, Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
072-207-8334
12 October 2005

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