The newly appointed first Director of Protection Services at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), Mr Bongani Mdeuka will be soon completing three months in office.

Speaking about joining DUT, Mdueka was a former SAPS Colonel and Acting Cluster Commander of Crime Intelligence for eThekwini Central from 2017, until he joined DUT in his new role which began on 7 April 2020.

Mdeuka whose career in SAPS spans about 33 years is no stranger to DUT, prior to his appointment he was working closely with the institution as a chairperson of the Joint Operations Command (JOC).

He said he began his duties during lockdown which came as an advantage to him as he had more than enough time to learn about and adapt to the new environment.

“I have done the University profile, checking and collecting data concerning the safety and security of students, staff and the university assets. I have visited all seven campuses to check if the university property is protected. It was also to see how the security guards are welcoming and treating students as they enter the University. I have managed to address some of the minor challenges identified in order to improve security,” said Mdeuka.

He said his observation on the in-house residences was fire safety, where he noticed that fire extinguishers are kept in the security guards room. “This is caused by the students behaviour which is a concern. Fire extinguishers posed a threat, when students are protesting, they take the fire extinguishers to break the doors and windows. They could even assault one another with it as we have students who are members of various political parties. This shows that students don’t place their lives first,” said Mdeuka.

Voicing out his plea to the students, Mdeuka said they need to remember that they are not visitors at the university.

He said students tend to destroy the university property when raising their dissatisfaction which will later affect them because the money that should be used to improve their learning, ends up being used to fix the damage.

Next week, he said he will be interacting with the Strike Force which comprises of three companies, Izikhova Security, Wise Training and Royal Security to check their capacity and their state of readiness to minimise students’ protests.

Mdueka said the university should consider having someone responsible for collecting information. “We need to give students someone who can be a shoulder to cry on. Someone who can identify threats and report on them before it’s too late. I believe the security issue is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that DUT remains a peaceful place. If everyone can play their role and do their jobs accordingly then the strike activities will be minimum. Students often resort to strikes because there’s someone who has not done their job well,” said Mdeuka.

Speaking briefly about himself, Mdueka said he is a straight forward person who is open to suggestions. He said his door is open to students and staff who have ideas on how DUT’s security can be improved.

The Vice-Chancellor of DUT, Professor Thandwa Mthembu issued his communique “Iminingo” on 6 April 2020 to welcome Mdeuka to the DUT community. Prof Mthembu said Mdeuka’s position is new at the University, aimed at responding to serious security challenges DUT faces. He said Mdeuka holds a BTech Degree in Policing from Unisa and a National Diploma in Police Administration from the then Technikon South Africa. He was the Provincial Section Commander Crime Intelligence and Overt Operations from 2011 to 2017; Provincial Commander for Crime Information Analysis from 2005 to 2008 and Area Commander for Crime Intelligence Gathering from 2003 to 2005.

Mthembu said he is confident that Mdeuka has the necessary expertise that will help DUT to improve the safety and security of staff, students, as well as the University’s assets.

Pictured: Director of Protection Services at DUT, Mr Bongani Mdeuka.

-Simangele Zuma