Students living off Rhodes campus must be more vigilant about safety, the SAPS and a local security company have warned.
Students living off Rhodes campus must be more vigilant about safety, the SAPS and a local security company have warned.
Increasing car break-ins and theft led the university's Oppidan Union to call a forum meeting about safety on Wednesday, where police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender stressed that you can never be too careful.
“The first thing people should do is make an inventory of everything valuable in their homes so that when a crime is committed, they can see what has gone missing,” said Govender.
“You never know when are going to be a victim of a crime.”
It's not all doom and gloom, however. Govender noted that if people are going away, they can register their homes at the police station and it will be patrolled with extra attention.
Oppidan Warden Janine Harris asked if the opening of the new police station in Joza would dilute the intensity of police patrols in town and suburban areas.
Govender assured her that the presence of SAPS in and around town will remain strong.
Representing the 3 500 students living off-campus, the Union also had Tlamelo Mothudi and James Ekron from the Rhodes Law Clinic share some legal advice with students leasing accommodation.
Mothudi and Ekron said it's important to get all agreements with landlords and estate agents in writing, and to ensure that they understand all clauses in the agreement.
“What most people don’t know is that if a legal matter arises between a resident and a landlord or an estate agency, people may use the argument that they did not understand certain clauses in their agreement if it is true that they didn't,” they said.
This can't be taken for granted however, and tenants must oblige to particular responsibilities within the agreement such as the maintenance of the property, Mothudi noted.
