Unisa
The University of South Africa (Unisa) is the oldest university in the country – its roots can be traced back more than 130 years.
The University of the Cape of Good Hope was founded in 1873 and changed its name to the University of South Africa in 1916. It was initially an examining body – it offered examinations, but not tuition. In 1918 it moved base from Cape Town to Pretoria, and in 1946 it changed its focus to become a distance education university.
Nestled on the Muckleneuk Ridge at the entrance to Pretoria from Johannesburg, this grand institute of higher learning has a tradition of service to the country.
With about 300 000 students and 4 000 teaching staff, Unisa is one of the largest universities in the world, and offers certificate, degree and diploma courses up to doctoral level.
In 2004, Unisa merged with Technikon Southern Africa and the distance-learning component of Vista University.
Among the prominent people who have studied through Unisa are former president Nelson Mandela; Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu; Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe; anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada; respected businessman Cyril Ramaphosa; Cabinet minister and former political prisoner Tokyo Sexwale; and Walter Battiss, South African abstract painter and creator of the quirky “Fook Island” concept.