Higher Education Minister, Naledi Pandor, says she believes security guards at tertiary institutions are heavy-handed with students.
Her statement comes after a student, who was involved in protests at the Durban University of Technology’s Steve Biko campus, was killed last week.
Twenty-year-old Mlungisi Madonsela was shot after an altercation with private security guards contracted to the institution.
He died while receiving medical attention at a hospital in Durban.
Pandor addressed the media in Pretoria on 12 high level demands made by the South African Student’s Union earlier this month.
She says she is concerned about violence on campuses by security officials – especially during protests. She’s suggested the possibility of training security officers and establishing University Policing Forums, much like Community Policing Forums.
“I do believe there is heavy-handedness. I believe we need to find better ways to manage where conflict and violence arises,” she says.
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