Killer security guard not our employee, says UJ

The University of Johannesburg says the security guard who allegedly murdered student Kelvin Baloyi at the Yard was not their employee.

Johannesburg - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Monday clarified that the security guard who allegedly murdered BSc Computer Science and Informatics student Kelvin Baloyi, was not their employee.

In a statement, the university said it was working with the South African Police Services (SAPS) to investigate the incident which led to the untimely death of Baloyi.

On Friday, a number of students marched to UJ to submit a memorandum outlining their concerns about private security and police on campus. The students weren't able to hand in the memorandum because Vice-Chancellor Irhon Rensburg was not available.

“The University has noted, with concern, assertions reported in the media following the death of a student as a result of a shooting incident at a privately owned student accommodation on Saturday, 5 November 2016,” UJ said.

Baloyi was shot in the face last Saturday allegedly by private security while attending a year end party at the off-campus student accommodation known as the Yard. “Unfortunately, many of the reports are characterised by poorly substantiated allegations by students, who claim a 'private security guard' employed by UJ was involved in the incident, creating the impression of widespread irresponsible behaviour by security personnel.”

The University said that in recent months, they had received criticism regarding the conduct of private security on their campuses and their management condemned any unlawful conduct of security services. “While it is not ideal to have private security and SAPS based at our campuses, it is the University's duty to ensure additional security measures enable us to fulfil our responsibilities to secure life, protect property and ensure minimum interruption to the core business and the completion of the academic programme,” the university said.

UJ management said they recognised the need for off-campus accommodation given the high demand for student housing and the limited availability in their own residences, and they had established an Off-Campus Accommodation Office that evaluated all off-campus accommodation against specific criteria and living standards aligned with the standards of the University.

“UJ acknowledges that it has experienced several challenges related to privately owned accommodation,” UJ management said.

“These matters are being afforded the highest attention by the Management of the University as the safety and security of our students remains our key priority. All reported complaints are actively investigated with the appropriate actions being taken, including investigating operations at privately owned accommodation to be found in breach of University guidelines.”

African News Agency