By Winston Sibanda

Seaboard residence took the stance to educate students on health and safety issues.

The programme that was set to begin at 10oclock commenced an hour late due to poor attendance.  The event was organized by the institution’s housing department working with the house committee of Seaboard.

It kicked off on a high note with Constable T.N Sijavu shading some light on crimes affecting the Point Crescent area, he is the sector commander of the block.According to Sijavu, it is impossible to eradicate crime hence the motive of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is to reduce it. He urged students to be very careful when walking around as theft of cellphone and laptops is one of the main crimes affecting students in this area. He highlighted that controlling crime is a challenge since criminals use the least expected opportunities to strike. Talking about alcohol, he advised students not to fight as this is one of the most common cases related to university students when they get drunk.

In his response to a question about police mistakes, he said, “what I am wearing is a uniform and beneath this uniform is a human being like any other.”

Seaboard house committee invited sister Mervis from Isolempilo clinic to tackle health issues. She recommended the stance taken by DUT to increase the number of the institution’s clinics. In her address, she urged students to utilize health facilities offered by the institution for their benefit. She discouraged the issue of unprotected sex and unplanned pregnancies saying the clinic offers family planning methods.

Nompumelelo Lehodi, from the HIV and AIDS center was one of the guests at this workshop. She focused on issues affecting women since it was the last day of women’s month.

She expressed disappointment on how some women from the institution treat themselves when it comes to sex. She said, “What you think you want is not necessarily what you need.”

Her statement was linked to the way she views the growing trend of sugar daddies for money in tertiary institutions. She urged women to respect their bodies and value them.

In closing the event, doctor Goba, a medical practitioner, attended to anonymous question which came from the floor. She advised students to go for regular medical checkups. According to Goba, a lot of people are not aware of their medical conditions hence they die at an early stage.

Constable Sijavu receives a gift from the seaboard house committee Picture by: Winston Sibanda

The event ended on a high note with the attendance numbers increasing. Organisers of the event thanked the speakers for their time to shade some light on different health and safety issues.