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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe South African Council for Educators (SACE) publishes its Code of Professional Ethics online, with a booklet PDF linked from the same page. The PDF is listed among SACE’s 2025 documents, but the booklet itself says it was approved on 11 October 2021 and reprinted in September 2021. For educators facing a disciplinary hearing, the code explains professional duties; SACE’s disciplinary procedures explain how a complaint, plea, finding and appeal are handled.
Where to find the SACE Code PDF—and which date matters
Use SACE’s Code of Professional Ethics page to read the code and access the booklet PDF. The documents listing calls it “Code of Professional Ethics booklet 2025” and shows a posting date of 17 March 2025. That is the listing date: the PDF’s own cover identifies approval on 11 October 2021 and a September 2021 reprint. Do not assume the 2025 listing means the text was revised in 2025. SACE’s documents listing provides the posted entry.
Who the code applies to
The code applies to educators registered or provisionally registered with SACE. Its general provisions require educators to “acknowledge, uphold and promote basic human rights, as embodied in the Constitution of South Africa.” Its specific duties cover relationships with learners, parents, the community, colleagues, the profession, the employer and SACE.
What the code requires of educators
Learners: dignity, rights and safety
Educators must respect learners’ dignity, beliefs, privacy and confidentiality, recognise individual needs, exercise authority with compassion and take reasonable steps to keep learners safe. The code prohibits humiliation, physical or psychological abuse, improper physical contact, sexual harassment, courting learners and sexual relationships with learners. SACE’s webpage prohibits pornography involving learners; the booklet also specifically lists sexting and sending pornographic material to learners.
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Parents, communities and colleagues
Educators should work constructively with parents and keep them informed where practically possible, while respecting community norms. They should address colleague misconduct through proper procedures, support the profession and assist new educators. The booklet also identifies unfair racial discrimination, racist comments, malicious communication and cyberbullying on social media as conduct covered by the code.
Employer and Council responsibilities
The code includes duties outside direct teaching. These include protecting confidential employer matters, declaring business interests to the employer before carrying them out, refraining from relevant legal violations, and not using unauthorised substances at school or while on duty or bringing unauthorised dangerous weapons onto school premises. Educators must cooperate with SACE.
How a SACE complaint and disciplinary hearing proceed
Any person who believes an educator has breached the code may lodge a complaint. SACE says a complaint should preferably be in writing and clearly disclose the alleged breach. The disciplinary committee may also investigate an alleged breach without a complaint. For current submission channels and instructions, consult SACE’s how to lodge a complaint page and its disciplinary procedures.
A complaint does not automatically mean there will be a hearing. Where a matter proceeds, SACE’s procedure describes an investigation and then a hearing. The summons is to state the allegation, hearing details and the educator’s rights. Those rights include representation—including legal representation—calling witnesses, producing supporting documents and making submissions against a panel recommendation.
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What happens when the educator is asked to plead
At the hearing, the charge is put to the educator and a plea is requested. A guilty plea may be followed by evidence if the presiding officer decides evidence should be heard. A not-guilty plea leads to evidence being heard. If the educator refuses or fails to plead, the procedure provides for the panel to enter a not-guilty plea and hear evidence. If the educator is absent and the panel decides to proceed, it likewise provides for a not-guilty plea and evidence.
When evidence is heard, each side may present evidence, cross-examine the other side’s witnesses and re-examine its own witnesses; panel members may also question witnesses. The procedure identifies rights to an interpreter, against self-incrimination, and to present and challenge evidence. An educator facing a case should follow the summons and case-specific directions closely.
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Possible findings and sanctions
SACE’s disciplinary procedures list a caution or reprimand, a fine not exceeding one month’s salary, or removal from the register for a specified period, indefinitely or subject to conditions. The procedure provides for written notification of the Council’s decision and says a finding and sanction take effect only when confirmed by Council. SACE describes the procedures as intended to be “corrective and not punitive, where this is possible and desirable taking into account the interests of the teaching profession as a whole.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Appeals: check the procedure that governs the case
SACE’s current Disciplinary Procedures webpage and its booklet PDF, labelled a September 2021 reprint, describe different appeal routes and timelines. They should not be merged into a single deadline or treated as interchangeable.
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The webpage says an educator found guilty may appeal the finding, the sanction or both by lodging an appeal with the CEO within 14 days after the disciplinary committee communicates its recommendation. It also says written submissions concerning a recommendation may be made to Council within five days of learning of it. The page describes Council consideration, possible referral to an appeals committee, and a further route to the appropriate High Court after Council dismisses an appeal; it states a one-month notice-of-appeal period for that route. These periods are statements in that webpage, not universal deadlines for every case.
The booklet sets out a different appeal framework. For a live matter, check the procedure applicable to the case and the instructions and dates in the written SACE notice immediately. Because a missed deadline may affect rights, obtain qualified legal advice rather than relying on a general summary.
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