The South African Police Service (SAPS) Deputy Minister, Dr Polly Boshielo, will lead the launch of a Campus Community Safety Forum at North West University’s (NWU) Mahikeng Campus on 13 and 14 August 2026, the police said on Wednesday.
National drive to bolster campus safety
The launch forms part of an ongoing national initiative between the SAPS and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to establish Campus Community Safety Forums across institutions of higher learning. According to the SAPS statement, the forums are intended to provide a "collaborative and proactive platform" for stakeholders to work together in preventing and combating crime both on and off campus.
The SAPS said the forums bring together campus management, students, staff and other stakeholders with police structures to promote safer learning and living environments. The two-day event at the NWU Mahikeng Campus will include the signing of a Campus Community Safety Forum pledge and a career exhibition showcasing opportunities within law enforcement.
"These forums provide a collaborative and proactive platform for the SAPS, campus management, students, staff and other stakeholders to work together to prevent and combat crime both on and off campus, while promoting safer learning and living environments," the police said in a statement.
Programme components and immediate aims
The SAPS highlighted two concrete components of the launch:
- Pledge signing to formalise commitments by forum participants; and
- Career exhibition designed to expose students to careers in policing and related fields.
By formalising engagement through pledges, the initiative seeks to translate collaborative discussion into agreed actions and accountability mechanisms between police and campus communities. The career exhibition is presented as an outreach element to build awareness of career pathways within law enforcement.
Scope and implications
While the SAPS statement does not list the full roll‑out plan, the launch at NWU Mahikeng is described as part of a broader commitment by the SAPS and DHET to strengthen safety at higher‑education institutions. Establishing community safety forums aligns with a preventive approach to campus crime by encouraging coordination among multiple roleplayers.
For campus communities, the forums offer a formal space for raising concerns about crime patterns, sharing information, and developing local responses that consider the particular risks students and staff face on and around campuses. For the SAPS and DHET, the initiative represents a mechanism to standardise engagement and potentially monitor progress across institutions.
Event timing
| Activity | Date |
|---|---|
| Launch at NWU Mahikeng Campus | 13–14 August 2026 |
The SAPS did not provide further operational details in the statement about which SAPS divisions will be directly involved at campus level, nor did it specify subsequent locations for additional forum launches. The announcement focused on the principle of partnership between the police, higher‑education management, students and staff.
What to watch next
- Whether the launch produces a public pledge detailing concrete measures and timelines that participants will implement.
- How the SAPS and DHET plan to measure the forums’ effectiveness in reducing crime and improving perceptions of safety on campuses.
- Whether the model will be rolled out to other universities and technical colleges, and which resources will be allocated to sustain forum activities.
Deputy Minister Boshielo’s presence at the NWU Mahikeng launch underscores the national profile afforded to the Campus Community Safety Forum initiative. The SAPS and DHET describe the engagement as part of a continued commitment to campus safety; the coming weeks will show how the forums translate into practical safety improvements for students and staff.
