Safety and security are utmost priorities at UZ

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) wishes to respond to an article which appeared in The Herald of October 20 2014 titled “UZ security team lacks respect”.

The university takes seriously the issues raised in the article and would like to assure the public and the university community, including students, that some of the issues raised will be thoroughly investigated with a view to correct them. However, other matters raised are grossly exaggerated and border on malicious falsehoods.

The university wants to put it on record it aspires to be the best university not only in Zimbabwe, but the SADC region, Africa and beyond. As such, the university endeavours to provide students with world class services and an environment to facilitate teaching, learning and research.

In implementing that responsibility, we are cognisant of the fact that the university exists to serve the students. The students are therefore our major clients and everything humanely possible is done to make their stay as comfortable as possible on campus.

The security department at the university is central to the vision and mission of the University of Zimbabwe.

It strives to create a conducive environment to facilitate learning, teaching and research, leading to full development of our students, regardless of gender, creed, race, religion or social class.

In discharging its responsibility, rules and regulations, the security department is guided by core values which include:

Exercise of professionalism and courtesy to all our students, staff and other stakeholders;

To be disciplined and to be sensitive to the needs of students, staff and other stakeholders;

To ensure that the UZ students’ rights as outlined in Section 1.1 of the students charter are upheld;

To protect and respect fundamental human rights as enshrined in the constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe, etc.

Contrary to the allegations raised by the “concerned student” that: “ we are living in perpetual fear of being verbally and physically harassed by the security guards who have turned the institution into their own fiefdom;” this, to all intends and purposes, is an allegation actuated by malice.

UZ students are empowered by the University of Zimbabwe Students Charter. In the charter, the university clearly declares its commitments and obligations to the students. The students’ rights and responsibilities are also promulgated, including the grievance procedures. It seems “concerned student” needs to read the Student Charter again. Section 1.14.7 lists the offices where students can report violations, including sexual abuse.

These include the Dean of Students: dean of faculty; chairperson of department; coordinator (psychologist), the department of counselling and advisory services; the registrar; and administrator or member of staff.

Section 1.15 of the Student Charter states that: “The university shall provide 24-hour security services to maintain peace and order and to protect life and property on campus and at university properties off campus.”

The university community is composed of over 13 000 students, and at least 4 000 members of staff. The students halls of residence accommodate 4 200 students.

So, during any working day, there are at least 16 000 people on the campus, including families of some members of staff residing on campus. With a community of this size, public safety and security for the entire community in general and students in particular, are of utmost priority to the university administration.

In order to ensure positive identification, the university policy makes it mandatory for staff and students to display their identity cards at all times when they are on campus, to enable members of the security department to easily identify them and allow them access into the university facilities.

The identify cards are necessary in distinguishing visitors and members of the UZ community, and make it easier for the security department to identify people who may be trespassing. This is standard practice at large universities all over the world.

The university has experienced a wave of thefts from the campus, with 107 laptops stolen this year, and 33 laptops stolen in the month of October alone. Without a vigilant security department, there would be chaos at the university, which adversely affects performance of the students.

However, extra care is taken to ensure that stakeholders are not unnecessarily inconvenienced. The university has the Students Union, (not Beit Hall as erroneously stated by the writer) which caters for non-resident students and several dining halls for students who stay in residence.

The role of security is to ensure smooth movement of students and prohibit unruly students who jump the queue at meal times.

Students can be allowed into lecture halls after hours, but the university policy requires them to obtain written permission from the departmental chairperson.

There have been incidences of vandalism and theft in lecture theatres, where equipment was either stolen or damaged, thereby undermining our efforts to provide a conducive learning environment.

Parents and guardians of students are allowed access into campus especially in cases of emergency. University policy does not allow motor vehicles to enter the campus after 6pm. This is intended to reduce cases of theft or unwanted visitors.

In case a student falls sick, the university has a clear policy to provide medical treatment on campus by qualified nurses and in case of serious illness, the university has an ambulance to transport the patient to the hospital. Where necessary, the parents or guardians will be contacted and allowed access into the university.

Female and male students are allowed to mingle and mix freely in the foyers of their halls of residence, and in the common rooms of their respective hostels. University policy does not allow male students to enter female hostels or vice versa. This policy was in response to appeals by parents and guardians of the students.

Whilst it is the responsibility of the security department to deal with all these concerns, we believe that security on campus is a responsibility shared by all members of the community, including students. When all members of the community uphold those standard operating procedures, a safer living and learning environment is created for the good and benefit of all.

This also eliminates undue anxieties and creates a joyous and pleasant atmosphere at the university. We therefore appreciate and are very grateful for the positive participation of every member of the community in combating crime in any way possible.

As a knowledge community, we cherish our values and ethos, and we shall continue to train our security personnel and all other staff members to exhibit high levels customer care for the benefit of our clients.

In conclusion, UZ is very proud of its track record which shows that our graduates are sought after the world over.