IMPROVE SECURITY FOR  STUDENTS

NUST students who reside in Matsheumhlope Killarnery, Sunning Hill and surrounding suburbs in Bulawayo have continually been exposed to a group of thugs and armed robbers who have been on the rampage since last year.

Cases of armed robberies are on the increase and students fear that the number of robberies which have dramatically increased since November last year will continually go unchecked.

The robbers and thugs have targeted students as they often have gadgets such as laptops, iPads, smart phones and many other valuable electronic gadgets.

Emmanuel Choga a final year student at NUST said, “It seems they are targeting us students from NUST because parallel students knock off at 8 pm when it’s already dark and others go for zero nights and come home around 2 am, especially final year students who are working on their projects.”

Recently cases of robberies and rape have risen as some students have either lost their lives or ended up being hospitalized.

Last year in October female NUST students living at 30 Chelmsford road were attacked by axe-wielding thugs who demanded laptops and iPads. One student was injured, two laptops and a smart phone were lost that night.

“We are living in fear because we feel we are no longer safe, imagine if people can break in just like that” said Primrose who resides in Matshemlope.

Most of these robberies are taking place in secluded areas at night. There student are advised not walk alone at night especially female students.

As a concerned student I implore NUST security personnel and the Student Representative Council (SRC) to work with the ZRP to bring these thugs to book.

Recently, at a student leader’s workshop at Rainbow towers Hotel, NUST head of security Mr Banda said they have since engaged the police and there are patrols in the suburbs surrounding NUST. He further noted that they have engaged police to establish a station at Bob’s Service Station near NUST, however this is only a strategy in the pipeline.

However, it is prudent for NUST security as well as the SRC to prioritize student safety and do much more than they are doing now such as establish a neighborhood watch, conduct safety awareness campaigns for students and improve communication between students and the security personnel.

Instead of prioritizing gigs and trivial functions it is important to be safe first before luxuries.