Unisa Midlands creates a safer environment

As an integral component of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, security plays a pivotal role in ensuring a safe environment across the length and breadth of all communities. Recently, the Midlands Protection Services together with the central office, launched their upgrading of security measures in an effort to ensure safety for all staff, students and visitors. The upgrade forms part of the university’s smart campus programme.

Protection Services is a secondary support service at Unisa, but provides a primary service to ensure a safe environment. The department is represented at all Unisa offices nationally, and it provides a platform for the provision of the following broad services to all Unisa offices:

• Physical security and investigations – providing human resources, security technology and infrastructure to ensure a safe environment.
• Crime Risk Management – ongoing evaluation and reassessment of security risk.
• Emergency preparedness – ensuring that all Unisa offices are suitably prepared to manage emergencies and fire risks.
• Occupational health and safety – ensuring that Unisa is safe and that OHS legal compliance is ensured.

The Midlands Region has been one of the first regional offices to kickstart the implementation of replacement and upgrading of the security systems, including access control, a perimeter palisade with Clearview and electric fencing, CCTV, and burglar alarm systems.

This emanates from the security project approved for 2024 in cooperation with the Central Office and the Finance Unit for upgrading of the burglar alarm system, as well as the old CCTV system in Rustenburg. The CCTV system was outdated and could no longer meet the current requirements of Protection Services, as the recording and storing of footage remained a challenge.

The implementation phase for the installation of newly upgraded surveillance security cameras has recently commenced at Unisa’s Rustenburg hub, where old cameras have been replaced by new, upgraded surveillance cameras. This will serve as an important security tool to reduce incidents and provide better evidence regarding unlawful activities.

* By Winston Rampedi, Manager: Communication and Marketing, Unisa Midlands Region