According to the WSU SRC, there are 'allegations of corruption and capture involving outsourced services'.
The Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Student Representative Council (SRC) has warned parliament that the institution is being destabilised by “corruption capture”, tender networks tied to housing providers, collapsing security systems and governance failures that have severely damaged the university’s reputation.
The SRC presented a comprehensive report to the portfolio committee on higher education, detailing what it called an escalating crisis affecting student safety, credibility of management structures and institutional stability.
The SRC said outsourcing had opened the door to widespread irregularities, telling members of parliament that the “outsourcing of critical services created space for tender irregularities”.
It said these risks had worsened under what it described as entrenched corrupt networks linked to student housing.
According to the presentation, there are “allegations of corruption and capture involving outsourced services (security, cleaning, gardening, transport)”, with the SRC warning that “increased influence of tender networks around student accommodation” has caused serious reputational damage.
Security collapse
The council described a breakdown of campus security that has left students vulnerable, linking the crisis to unstable contracts and failing outsourced companies.
They reported “poor perimeter security”, with the Ibika campus completely unfenced and the public entering freely.
The SRC also raised alarm about “a traditional initiation school operating on university land” and “incomplete fences at Potsdam, Nelson Mandela Drive, and Zamukulungisa Campuses increased crime infiltration”.
Security capacity has been shrinking across campuses, with the SRC stating that long-term instability stems from “month-to-month security contracts” and “historical incidents involving previous security companies, including violent confrontations with students”.
The instability has already led to “retrenchment of more than half of security staff across campuses”, leaving the remaining personnel “heavily overworked” and unable to provide adequate patrols.
This, the SRC warned, has caused “heightened student vulnerability and increased criminal activity.”
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Student safety
The SRC said students have lost confidence in the university’s commitment to their welfare, noting an “ongoing perception that student safety and wellbeing are not adequately prioritised”.
They argued that repeated crises have overshadowed institutional achievements, stating that “achievements in research and infrastructure [are] overshadowed by governance failures” and that ongoing problems in “security, outsourcing, and accountability erode trust”.
According to the presentation, the cumulative effect has meant “institutional credibility [is] undermined across students, staff, and external stakeholders”.
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Insourcing and campus improvements
The SRC proposed wide-ranging interventions to restore stability and rebuild credibility.
On infrastructure, they recommended building “larger lecture halls with advanced technology”, modernising laboratories, providing on-campus student accommodation for all students, including students with physical disabilities, developing inclusive sporting facilities, and ensuring “reliable water supply and backup systems for water and electricity”.
On outsourcing, the SRC called for a full overhaul, recommending that WSU “phase out outsourced services like security, cleaning, landscaping, ambulance, and transport.
Their proposal includes initially insourcing “50% of workers,” while maintaining some outsourced staff for night shifts and high-risk periods.
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