In an effort to create safer environments for students, staff and the general public, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) has partnered with the Gauteng Department of Community Safety. On Friday, 28 March 2025, a signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place at the UJ Doornfontein Campus (DFC), one of UJ’s four campuses. This partnership seeks to enhance campus and community safety through the integration of UJ’s security systems with the Provincial Integrated Community Centre (PICC), and the implementation of joint safety awareness campaigns focusing on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, Human Trafficking, and Substance Abuse. It also aims to create safer, smarter environments for students and the broader Gauteng community.
Speaking at the event, Gauteng Community Safety Head of Department (HoD), Ms Nontsikelelo Sisulu, said she hoped that through this collaboration students, parents, faculty members and those who come to the University as guests can experience safer environment within the campuses, outside in the precinct as well. Safety and security around the university campuses have remained a concern, so much so that universities have had to prioritise funding for extensive protection services measures across all spheres.
“The only way for things to work is to implement them. We will steer the ship until we get to see a Gauteng that is indeed safe. Collaborating with those in the theoretical and learning spaces and working together with those in the practical spaces – together we can move society forward. The more young people there are, the better. We want to know that there will be young people who will carry the cause and the issues that Gauteng is facing.”
Ms Sisulu indicated that the Premier of the Province, Honourable Panyaza Lesufi, was instrumental in ensuring that technology, including investments already made into CCTV cameras, would be part of the MoU.
UJ Vice-Chancellor Professor Lethlokwa Mpedi welcomed this initiative, saying “a partnership approach will take us where we want to be”. As a Pan-African University anchored in the City of Gold, Prof Mpedi said, UJ represented the City and endeavoured to represent it well. “Our campuses are key drivers of local economies in the various areas we are based. Our destiny and that of the City and Province are intertwined. Your success is our success. UJ is not only a microcosm of society but also that of the City and Province and as such we are affected by issues such as water, security, energy, ailing infrastructure, GBV and emotional wellbeing. We have a number of existing measures and initiatives that we hope, as we come together, will complement each other.”
Prof Mpedi added that he did not want students, especially those coming from other provinces, to feel a sense of fear while walking in the streets of Johannesburg or in their places of residence off-campus. “This partnership gives us hope that these initiatives can be sustainable. UJ is a university on the move, and we want to contribute to investing in world class infrastructure and training facilities. Everything we do must have a positive impact on society. High unemployment and poverty fuel crime, we must make positive contributions.”
He emphasised that the signing of the MoU and the initiatives that would come from it will take the University and Gauteng Province to the next level.
UJ’s Chief Operating Officer Dr Mpoti Ralephata said: “There are opportunities not only in safety and security to collaborate. We are a citizen of Johannesburg, and we would want our facilities to benefit the City and Province. We open our doors so we can see more areas of collaboration. We will be rolling out a number of projects to make ourselves a true 4IR university.”
Members of the South African Police Service and Johannesburg Metro Police Department have given the initiative their support. SAPS Brigadier Lesley Lloyd said: “This historic partnership between the University and the Department of Community Safety marks a significant milestone in our collective journey towards creating a safer and secure Johannesburg by combining the academic expertise of the University with the community focused initiatives of the Department. We are poised in making a meaningful impact on the lives of our citizens.
This partnership is built on principles of collaboration, mutual respect and a shared commitment to addressing the complex challenges that we face in our community. Together we will work to develop innovative solutions and foster a culture of safety and promote social cohesion in our communities.”
