by Tebogo Tabane
The newly appointed Director at the Tshwane School of Business (TSB), Professor Hlengani Mathebula, said he is honoured and excited at the opportunity to join the TSB and the broader University community in its pursuit of empowering the people and taking the University from its current state of good to their defined goal of great.
Prof Mathebula, who assumed his role as Director of the school at the beginning of October 2024, said in his first address to staff he implored them and the entire collective to work hard to position TSB as a recognised business school in South Africa and internationally with good standing and reputation.
“We should be a business school that actively engages with stakeholders and communities, while also making a remarkable impact on business and society. By the end of my term, we should be ranked among the top five business schools in the country and among the top 15 on the continent. This is a significant goal that signifies our commitment to putting in the hard work to achieve it. This means that team TSB will be singularly focused and heavily reliant on the broader University community for support in achieving this objective. We will become a center of excellence for entrepreneurship, leadership and governance, Agri- impact, as well as Technology and Innovation,” said Prof Mathebula.
“TSB is committed to give life to the University’s strategic objective that is to produce graduates who are future ready. In this instance, we are tasked with producing postgraduates who have 21st century skills, that will enable them to operate in the 4IR, artificial intelligence and sustainable environment. So, graduates that come to TSB for any number of programmes and degrees will find an institution that is ready to empower them with these skills and that at the point of exit, they don’t only have a degree but they are able to contribute impactfully to the business world and the community they operate within,” emphasised Prof Mathebula.
Prof Hlengani Mathebula, the newly appointed Director of the Tshwane School of Business.
On a lighter note, Prof Mathebula says he thinks of himself as a result driven leader. “I have an open-door policy, willing to listen to everyone that works within my environment. However, I don’t tolerate professional gossipers, lazy people and people who don’t take responsibility for their actions. I thrive in a team that is cohesive and focused. I am definitely not one to sit around with to share office politics, I confront issues, not individuals and five minutes later we will be laughing as if nothing happened,” he says.
Speaking about the kind of team he would like to work with, Prof Mathebula said he would like to publicly thank his predecessor Prof Kobus Jonker. “He has left behind a team of highly committed individuals who do their best despite some challenges that we will have to overcome together. Prof Jonker stabilised TSB, he put the systems in place and rebranded the former TUT Business School to the current TSB. I owe him a great deal of gratitude for the work done and the foundation set,” he said.
“Mine now is ensure that together with the team we create a team spirit that will be an envy of other business schools. The team spirit that must take us to top five in the country and top 15 in the continent. Our entire focus must be on this objective. I am satisfied that this team is battle ready and it is time to deploy. We should never waste time as our competitors aren’t sitting there waiting for us to overtake them, it will be a fight that I am ready for and I call on the entire University community to help us conquer. I must emphasise that transformation, innovation and true progress, can only come from within the institution. Mine is to simply to pull MY sleeves up, to nurture, collaborate and unlock the true potential and capabilities of the TSB team,” he added.
On how he plans to grow the TSB and make it the leading business school in the country, Prof Mathebula said: “Now that I am in the hot seat, I will have to tap into my extensive business and industry experience as well as strategic insights to ensure that TSB archives its mission to be among the top five business schools in the country and top 15 business schools on the continent. To this end, we will be known for our Leadership and Management, Academic and Research Excellence, Industry and Corporate Engagement, Global Perspectives and Cultural Competence, Innovation in Education, Governance and Institutional Development and finally, Community and Social Impact. TSB is on the path towards success,” he concluded.
For a full profile of Prof Mathebula please click here.