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17 May 2022 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
University of Limpopo visits UFS Protection Services
Staff from the University of the Free State Department of Protection Services pictured with the delegation from the University of Limpopo during their benchmarking visit.

The University of the Free State Department of Protection Services hosted a delegation from the University of Limpopo on Friday, 13 May 2022 as part of benchmarking best protection service practices. 

During the visit, discussions included the management of student protests, gender-based violence, fire emergency responses, and challenges experienced with the Campus Protection Society of Southern Africa.

The visit by the University of Limpopo follows similar benchmark visits by the Central University of Technology, Sol Plaatje University, and the University of Johannesburg.

Noko Masalesa, Senior Director: Protection Services, said: “The visit by the University of Limpopo was used to take them through our vision 2024, to show them some of the advanced CCTV cameras that the UFS has installed, the policies, and organisational structure. Part of that strategy is to enhance the university’s security technology in line with the best practices.”

Masalesa said: “The UFS has a good model to manage all the different functional areas of the Department of Protection Services, and most universities are impressed with the new CCTV cameras that we rolled out and the other advances made in the development of protection services over the past five years.”

To remain among the leaders in protection services within the higher education, the department also visited Stellenbosch University, the University of Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, and the University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University – both in Kenya.

Mampuru Mampa, Director: Safety and Security at the University of Limpopo, said: “Like other institutions, the University of Limpopo is dealing with crimes affecting students on and off campus, as well as student protests. Fostering collaboration and benchmarking will assist our protection service departments to develop and implement a standardised approach to improve safety on our campuses.”

On lessons learnt during the benchmarking tour, Mampa said: “We have learnt about security system integration, investigation systems approach, off-campus security, and student protest management.”

Mampa believes “it is important for protection service departments across the higher education sector to develop standardised security measures to improve safety, and benchmarking assists in closing gaps in protection services”.

News Archive

DiMTEC teaches on disasters with international counterparts
2009-06-12

 
Photo: Supplied


 

The Disaster Management Training and Education Centre for Africa (DiMTEC) at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently presented a training course on vulnerability and disaster risk management in collaboration with the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS).

The focus was on social, environmental and economical vulnerability, global warming and early warning systems.

Dr Fabrice Renaud, Associate Director: UNU-EHS, Dr-Eng. Jörn Birkmann, Head of the section Vulnerability Assessment: UNU-EHS, and Prof. Dusan Sakulsky, Africa Representative: UNU-EHS from Bonn, Germany presented the course, together with Mr Andries Jordaan, Director: DiMTEC and Eugene Poolman, Chief Forecasting Specialist: Disaster Risk Reduction, South African Weather Service.

This course will be presented again at the Novi Sad University, Serbia in October 2009 and September 2010 as well as in Bonn, Germany in May 2010, where it will be part of the UNU PhD block course.

Conducting the training were, from the left: Mr Jordaan, Prof. Sakulski, Ms Awatif Ayadh, DiMTEC student from Sudan, and Dr -Ing. Vilma Hossini, Training Programme Associate: UNU-EHS.

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