SACE PRESENTATION ON THE

CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

UMALUSI ACCREDITATION FORUM AND
CERTIFICATE AWARD CEREMONY-2022
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SACE OVERVIEW
GOVERNED BY THE SACE
ACT NO.31 OF 2000

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 GUARDIAN PROTECTOR

CARETAKER PREMISE DEFENDER

SACE IS THE CUSTODIAN AND VOICE OF THE TEACHING
PROFESSION

WATCHMAN OVERSEER

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SACE OBJECTS Professional
Registration

Professionalising the Teaching

Profession Across the Teacher
Education and Development
of Teachers

Continuum
Professional CPTD
Management
Standards System

Ethical
CORE MANDATE AND Standards
DELEGATED FUNCTIONS 4 4
GOVERNANCE

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HOW IS SACE COUNCIL CONSTITUED?
 SACE Council is made up of 30 members as follows:
 18 members from the organised teaching profession (all the
national unions – SADTU, NATU, NAPTOSA, PEU, SAOU)
 1 member from independent schools
 5 members representing the Ministry of Basic Education
 2 members from the national governing bodies associations
(Federation of School Association of South Africa - FEDSAS and
National Association of School Governing Bodies - NASGB)
 1 member representing TVET colleges
 1 member representing CHE
 The Chairperson
 The CEO
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HOW ARE COUNCILLORS NOMINATED TO SERVE ON COUNCIL
 Nominated by their constituencies and appointed by the
Minister of Basic Education.
 The majority of Council members are from the organised
teaching profession (18 out of 30)
 The Council’s term of office is four years (Current Council
– 2017 to 2021)
 The Council Chairperson – Mr Lucky Cele
 The Council Deputy Chairperson – Dr Louis Swanepoel
 The CEO – Ms Ella Mokgalane
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 SOURCE OF FUNDING…

SACE’s Main Source of Funding:

 Educators in a form of:
 Registration Fees (R200.00 SA, R400 FN)
 Monthly Levies (R15.00 with effect from the 1st November 2017)
 Department of Basic Education annual grant for the CPTD System
(R9.7m 2017/18, R16m 2018/19, R20m 2019/20)
 Payment Methods for Registration Fees: Online, Cash, Card, Postal-Order

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SACE OFFICES
 NATIONAL OFFICE
 Centurion

 PROVINCIAL OFFICES:
 Bloemfontein- FS
 Durban-KZN
 Polokwane-LP
 Eastern Cape

 UPCOMING OFFICES
 Western cape

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PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Programme 3

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 PURPOSE OF THE DIVISION

To ensure and enforce compliance with the Code of Professional Ethics and
enhance the image of the teaching profession

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 EDUCATOR EDUCATOR EDUCATOR
AND THE AND THE AND THE
LEARNER PARENT COMMUNITY

CODE OF PROFESSIONAL
ETHICS
•SET OF RULES
EDUCATOR AND •DETERMINATION OF
BEHAVIOURAL
THE COUNCIL EXPECTATION FROM A
PROFESSIONAL

EDUCATOR EDUCATOR AND EDUCATOR

AND THE HIS/HER AND HIS/HER
PROFESSION EMPLOYER COLLEAGUES
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 SACE CODE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Acknowledge the noble
calling of their profession
to educate and train the
learners of our country.
Acknowledge that the attitude,
dedication, self-discipline, ideals,
training and conduct of the
teaching profession determine the
quality of education in this
country.
Acknowledge, uphold and
promote basic human rights,
as embodied in the
Constitution of South Africa.
Commit themselves therefore to
do all within their power, in the
exercising of their professional
duties, to act in accordance with
the ideals of their profession, as
expressed in this Code.
2.5 Act in a proper and
becoming way such that
their behaviour does not
bring the teaching
profession into disrepute.
Uphold ethical standards & restore
public confidence in the teaching
profession.
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SOURCES OF COMPLAINTS

SACE continues to receives and processes complaints against educators

Sources of complaints:
 Anonymous Complaints
 Written Complaints
 Telephonic Complaints
 Electronic and Print Media
 Reports from Provincial Departments (Section 26)
 Reports from SACE Ambassadors
 Reports from SAHRC
 Reports from CGE
 Reports from ELRC

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 A distinction ought to be always drawn
Complaints that are dealt between Labour related matters and
with by the SACE must Professional or Ethical related matters.
be of a professional
nature and that border
along a breach of the
SACE Code of
Professional Ethics.

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 TYPES OF COMPLAINTS AND POSSIBLE MISCONDUCT
Late coming Submission of fraudulent
medical/academic/professional certificates
Theft Unprofessional conduct /
intimidation

Absenteeism Serious undermining of colleagues Emotional abuse of learners and

Abscondment
colleagues

Verbal abuse Non-submission of Intimidation

Fraud (Misrepresentation of facts)
work

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STRIKEABLE OFFENCES

 EMPLOYMENT OF UNREGISTERED EDUCATORS (SECTION 21 OF THE SACE ACT)

 FACILITATING FOR THE EMPLOYMENT OF UNREGISTERED EDUCATORS
 Examination fraud

 Supplying Alcohol and Drugs to Learners or Community

 Consuming Alcohol and Drugs with Learners, etc.
 Improper relations with learners

 Bullying of learners by teachers

 Bullying of colleagues by colleagues

Corporal Punishment
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The Abolition of Corporal
Punishment Act, 1997 (Act No.
33 of 1997) is an act of the
Parliament of South Africa that
abolished judicial corporal
punishment. It followed the
Constitutional Court's 1995
decision in the case of S v
Williams and Others that caning
of juveniles was unconstitutional. Why did South Africa abolish corporal punishment?
The reformed schooling system is part and parcel of the
Citation: Act No. 33 of 1997 transformation agenda for South Africa, and the banning
Commenced: 5 September 1997 of corporal punishment reflected the need to move away
Assented to: 28 August 1997 from a violent and authoritarian past towards an
Enacted by: Parliament of South Africa environment respectful of human dignity and bodily
integrity.

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STRIKEABLE OFFENCES CONT.

 FLIRTING WITH LEARNERS

 SEXTING WITH LEARNERS

 IMPROPER RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEARNERS

 PROPOSING LOVE TO LEARNERS
 FOSTERING LOVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEARNERS
 GROOMING OF LEARNERS FOR SEXUAL PURPOSES
 RAPE OF LEARNERS, COLLEAGUES AND PARENTS
 SEXUAL ASSAULT OF LEARNERS
 SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH LEARNERS
 STATUTORY RAPE
 SEXUAL COERCION/SEX FOR MARKS
 SEXUAL HARASSMENT
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 Complaints Dealt With
 Complaints against educators which borders along the breach of the
SACE
Code of Professional Ethics by teachers

 A distinction ought to be drawn at all times between Labour and

Professional or Ethical issues

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 FLOW CHART
 Complaint
Received; Acknowledged; Assessed;
Audi Letters Sent & Recommendation

ETHICS COMMITTEE / COUNCIL

Recommendation Discussed - Ratified

IMPLEMENTATION
➢ Investigation / Mediation
➢Advisory letter
➢ Disciplinary Process
➢ Referral to the DBE, schools, ELRC, SAPS
➢ Advise to schools or parties

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SACE disciplinary processes

➢Processes take the form of a formal disciplinary process
➢Witnesses are called to testify
➢Subjected to cross examination, etc
➢Verdict and sanction pronounced
➢Sanction is communicated to the relevant Provincial
Department of Basic Education by letter for implementation
(Section 15 (2); and
➢names submitted to the Department of Social
Development(DSD) as per Section 120 of the Children’s Act
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SACE ACT AND SACE DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES
 Powers and duties of council
 5 (c) with regard to professional ethics-
 (i) must compile, maintain and from time to time review a code of
professional ethics for educators who are registered or provisionally
registered with the council;
 (ii) must determine a fair hearing procedure;
 (iii) subject to subparagraph (ii), may-
 (aa) caution or reprimand;
 (bb) impose a fine not exceeding one month’s salary on; or
 (cc) remove from the register for a specified period or indefinitely, or subject
to specific conditions, the name of an educator found guilty of a breach of
the code of professional ethics and
 (iv) may suspend a sanction imposed under subparagraph (iii) (bb) or (cc)
for a period and on conditions determined by the council:

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 SACE EFFORTS TO ADDRESS THE ABOVE
SHORT COMINGS
• SACE conducted a research on the Factors and
Environments facilitating or enhancing sexual
relater misdemeanor between teachers and
learners

• Findings were made available

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 SACE RESPONSE TO VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS
In response to the rise in the amount of violence in
schools, especially that was being perpetrated against
educators; SACE commissioned a study and came up with
booklet or handbook called:
• Teachers’ Safety and security in South African Schools
• The book is freely available for download for anyone
wishing to have a copy
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 Contact Details:

George Moroasui
012 679 9710 (Tel)
072 524 0772 (Mobile)
georgem@sace.org.za (Email)

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