History

The UNISA business school – the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) was established in 1965 and operated as an autonomous entity in the then Faculty of Commerce and Administration. The institution and the business school has undergone several structural changes which saw the UNISA’s statutes changing from the faculty model to a college model. In 2020, UNISA-SBL went through another transformation process prompted by the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. 

When the pandemic lockdown was announced in South Africa on the 24th of March 2020, the focus of the business school had been to support staff and students to deliver education and research priorities, and to manage logistical issues concerning connectivity and access to students’ systems.

Even though the Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed how the SBL operates, and how the business school supports students, the SBL saw an opportunity to reinvent itself to be at the forefront of shaping new business agendas by seeking value-adding ways in four focus areas: (1) Responsible Leadership in Practice; (2) Sustainable Livelihoods; (3) Intra-Africa Trade and Investment; and (4) Digital Transformation and Value Creation. With these four focus areas the business school has positioned itself to focus on its mission to cocreate with its partners and alumni, innovative business leadership education to transform society.

In its history of sixty years (in 2025) SBL has produced more than a third of all the MBL/MBA Degrees awarded by South African universities. A total of 4426 students graduated from the SBL from 2010 to 2023 alone.