A contract at the University of Witwatersrand (WITS) in Johannesburg, one of South Africa’s largest universities, has gone to the manufacturer Gallagher Security.
Spread across 400 acres in Braamfontein and Parktown, WITS has five faculties comprising 35 schools, 30 service departments, 11 libraries, 18 halls of residence with 6600 beds, and offers 3416 courses; in 2023 it had an enrolment count of 42,189 students and a staff of 1273. With Channel Partner, FS Systems, Gallagher will replace the access control system with their site management platform, Command Centre. A 18-month roll out, which began this month, is expected to be completed in 2027. The installation due to cover some 2500 doors and 80,000 cardholders will be completed in two phases to mitigate any risks.
Gallagher Security, Sales Manager – South Africa, Tarryn Fortune says, “173 buildings have been identified across seven campuses that need to be migrated onto Gallagher’s system. Phase one will be the major component of the migration and will encompass the replacement of all the existing access control hardware with Gallagher hardware.”
Card readers and wave readers will be re-used and hard-wired onto new Gallagher controllers. All other door hardware such as maglocks, break-glass units, pushbuttons, cabling will be kept, and a new interface will be developed. A reason behind this decision was the university’s wish to engage local support. Their previous software system was US-based, and incurred license costs each time a new integration was implemented.
Tarryn adds: “We are thrilled to be partnering with WITS to deliver a fully integrated security solution that not only enhances campus safety but also streamlines operations. By consolidating multiple security systems into one intelligent Gallagher platform, WITS will gain greater control, efficiency, and future scalability. Our focus is always on providing innovative, people-centric security solutions that adapt to the evolving needs of our customers, and this project is a testament to that commitment.”
