The University has taken bold steps to quell ongoing criminality in the Belhar and Bellville areas. The campus community was in mourning following the murder of third-year BCom student Kamva Dasi off campus in Belhar in April. 

UWC student leadership and University management were engaged in discussions before the tragic passing to implement measures to ensure the safety of students and staff. Flowing from engagements in 2022, UWC, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Northlink College, the South African Police Service, City of Cape Town Law Enforcement, the Belhar Community Policing Forum and The Neighbourhood Watch have now joined forces to establish the Belhar/Unibell Crime Combating Forum. 

The parties have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as a first step of the initiative. It is envisaged that in the future, commercial businesses will be invited with a view to engage in the creation of an appropriate Central Improvement District.

The MOU outlines several initiatives and the purpose of the forum. The goals, among others, are to:

• act as a security force multiplier and become a deterrent force to crime in the area; and,
• through engagement, it provides focus and momentum to stakeholders to develop key strategies, approaches and principles to fighting crime.

The signing comes after Police Minister Bheki Cele released the quarterly crime statistics on Tuesday that revealed that more than 6 200 people were murdered between January and March 2023 in South Africa - an increase of 3.4% compared to the same period last year.

UWC’s Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Tyrone Pretorius, affirms the importance of signing this MOU and says the following: "The signing of this MOU marks a historical moment that breaks down silos to work towards crime prevention in the community. It includes pivotal role players in the community who are involved in a holistic approach to creating a safer space on both the UWC campus and in the broader community."

Further initiatives of the Belhar/Unibell Crime Combating Forum include to:

• draw up crime displacement plans and modus operandi of crime;
• share information about identified crime hotspots and high-risk areas;
• advise on mitigation strategies to combat crime;
• advise on ways to invest resources to combat crime;
• make recommendations to SAPS; and,
• advise on awareness initiatives and programmes to be adopted for the benefit of the community.

President of UWC’s Student Representative Council, Mandla-Onke Notyawa, has called for unity and emphasised the need for additional police patrols in affected areas: "Kamva Dasi was not targeted because they wanted to kill a student from UWC. But they saw someone vulnerable in the area where there is no visibility of law enforcement or any security. He could have been a student from Northlink College, or a student from CPUT. That’s why we have to come to the table with all of the issues.”

In addition to the signing of the MOU, the parties involved also agreed to a Policy Framework to address gender-based violence in higher education. UWC has among the most progressive policies against sexual violence in the country, which were developed by senior management and approved by the University's Senate and Council. Members of UWC management have been seconded to the Presidential task team to combat gender-based violence.

A recalibration of the University’s shuttle services for students has also been made as an extra safety measure.

The signing of the memorandum is providing us with the hope, in the most practical way, that dealing with the challenges that we have now and going forward, things are going to change. A special thanks to the law enforcement officers and the community for making themselves available to partner with us.