South African Council for Educators

What South African Council for Educators does

South African Council for Educators (SACE) is a statutory professional council established under SACE Act No. 31 of 2000, mandated to regulate the teaching profession across South Africa. It serves as the sole legal authority for educator registration, requiring all persons employed as educators in public schools, independent schools, FET institutions, adult learning centers, Waldorf and Montessori centers, and Grade R ECD settings to be registered before employment. SACE also administers the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system, mandating a minimum of 150 Professional Development points per three-year cycle, and enforces a Code of Professional Ethics through formal investigation panels and disciplinary processes. The Council comprises 30 members appointed by the Minister of Basic Education and is supported by a head office in Centurion plus four documented provincial offices in KZN, Free State, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape.

SACE's core technology stack comprises four primary systems: the CPTD Management System (hosted at sace.gov.za) for tracking educator professional development portfolios; an online registration portal delivered via the SITA e-government e-services infrastructure (eservices.gov.za); an Educator Status Verification service allowing lookup by SA ID or passport; and a SACE Virtual Library powered by Snapplify for digital content distribution. Supporting platforms include a Provider Endorsement System for quality-assuring professional development providers and a Teacher Professionalisation Programme covering the induction-to-certification career pathway. SACE integrates with national payroll (Persal) for monthly levy collection, with SAQA for foreign qualification evaluation, and with CHE under a July 2023 Memorandum of Agreement.

SACE operates as a non-profit statutory body funded primarily through educator levies (R10/month per educator), one-time registration fees (R200 SA, R400 foreign), private institution annual contributions (R120/educator), certificate replacement fees (R50), and a parliamentary government grant via the Department of Basic Education. Its customer base is the entire South African educator workforce — a structural, non-discretionary long tail. Distribution is hybrid, combining self-serve online portals with provincial walk-in offices. International engagement is maintained through AFTRA and IFTRA memberships, and a joint Teacher Wellbeing Survey was conducted with UNESCO IICBA in 2025.

Name

South African Council for Educators

Legal name

South African Council for Educators

Website

https://sace.org.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

South African Council for Educators (SACE) is the statutory professional council that mandates registration, continuing professional development, and ethics oversight for all educators in South Africa across public, independent, FET, and ECD settings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Professional Regulatory Services

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Initial Teacher Certification & Licensure Boards (EDADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher Registration, Recordkeeping & Public Registry Authorities (EDADAJAJ), Teacher Standards, Ethics & Professional Conduct Boards (EDADAJAE), Education Professionals (Teacher/Administrator CE, CPD) (EDAAALAE)

Keywords

• Educator professional registration
• Continuing professional development
• Teacher professional ethics
• Professional standards compliance
• Teacher regulatory authority

Headquarters

HQ city

Centurion

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Educator Registration Fees: One-time registration fees collected from educators upon initial registration. South African educators pay R200, foreign educators pay R400. This is a mandatory fee for all persons employed as educators.
2. Monthly Educator Levies: All registered educators pay a monthly levy of R10.00. For public school educators, fees are deducted via Persal through their salary pay slips. Educators not employed or not having fees deducted must make direct payment arrangements.
3. Private Institution Annual Fees: Private institutions are obligated to contribute an annual amount of R120.00 per educator registered with SACE.
4. Certificate Replacement Fees: Replacement certificates issued at a fee of R50 per certificate (postal order or cheque) for educators who lose or misplace their registration certificate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SACE is the statutory professional council for educators in South Africa, established under SACE Act No. 31 of 2000. It manages mandatory educator registration, administers the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) system, and enforces the Code of Professional Ethics for all teachers employed in South African public schools, independent schools, FET institutions, adult learning centers, and ECD centers.

Product overview

SACE operates as a statutory professional council for educators rather than a commercial technology company. Its service portfolio is organized around three core mandates: educator registration (provisional, full, conditional, and foreign educator registration), professional development management (through the CPTD Management System with its three-year point-accumulation cycle), and ethics administration (Code of Professional Ethics enforcement). Supporting these pillars are the Teacher Professionalisation Programme (structured pathway from initial training to full certification), Provider Endorsement System (quality-assuring PD providers and programmes), SACE Virtual Library (digital content via Snapplify), and Educator Status Verification service. The CPTD Management System serves as the primary digital platform tying these services together, enabling educators to track their professional development points and portfolio submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Educator Registration Services Mandatory registration service covering provisional registration for student teachers, full registration for qualified educators, conditional registration for specialists without professional qualifications, and foreign educator registration. Includes application processing, certificate issuance, and verification of educator status.
• CPTD Management System Online platform managing the Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) cycle. Educators earn Professional Development points through endorsed activities and must accumulate a minimum of 150 points over a three-year cycle. Tracks registrations, activity endorsements, and professional development portfolios.
• Code of Professional Ethics Management Administration of the Code of Professional Ethics for educators, including investigation of alleged breaches, conducting hearings, and recommending sanctions. Enables lodging of complaints, witness interviews, and case adjudication through established panels.
• Teacher Professionalisation Programme A structured pathway guiding educators from initial teacher training through induction, provisional registration, Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT) status, and full professional certification. Includes Professional Practice Standards, induction programme requirements, and Electronic NQT Professional Development Portfolio submissions.
• Provider Endorsement System SACE endorses professional development providers and their programmes through an application and review process. Endorsed programmes appear in the Endorsed Activities Catalogue and qualify educators for CPTD points. Includes renewal processes for both providers and activities.
• SACE Virtual Library

Quantifiable outcome

• Mandatory registration requirement ensures all South African educators maintain professional standards through CPTD participation (minimum 150 Professional Development points per 3-year cycle)

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, moderate and minor.

• UNESCO IICBAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025SACE conducted a joint Teacher Wellbeing Survey with UNESCO IICBA (International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa) to assess and support educator wellbeing.
• CHE (Council on Higher Education)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023SACE and CHE signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in July 2023 to formalize cooperation on higher education matters relevant to teacher training and professional standards.
• AFTRA (Africa Federation of Teaching Authorities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE is a member of AFTRA, which brings together teaching regulatory authorities from across Africa. SACE actively participates in AFTRA conferences, executive board meetings, and the annual Teaching and Learning Conferences and Roundtables.
• IFTRA (International Forum of Teacher Regulatory Authorities)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE holds membership in IFTRA, the international forum connecting teacher regulatory authorities globally for knowledge sharing and collaboration on teacher professional standards.
• Department of Basic EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACE works closely with the national Department of Basic Education on policy matters, teacher professionalisation, and the Integrated Strategic Plan for Teacher Education and Development (ISPFTED).
• SAQA (South African Qualification Authority)majorTechnology or IntegrationSAQA evaluates foreign educator qualifications as part of the registration process for foreign educators. SACE requires SAQA evaluation of qualifications obtained outside South Africa.
• ELRC (Education Labour Relations Council)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on matters relating to educator employment conditions and collective agreements affecting the teaching profession.
• ETDP SETAmoderateChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducation, Training and Development Practices SETA works with SACE on internship programmes and professional development funding for educators.
• SADTU (South African Democratic Teachers Union)moderateOthersMajor teacher union with which SACE engages on professional development matters and educator welfare.
• NAPTOSA (National Professional Teachers' Organisation of South Africa)moderateOthersProfessional teachers' organization engaged as a key stakeholder in SACE activities and professional development initiatives.
• SAOU (Suid Afrika Onderwysersunie)minorOthersAfrikaans teachers' union engaged as stakeholder in SACE professional development and registration activities.
• NATU (National Teachers Union)minorOthersNational teachers union engaged as stakeholder in SACE professional development activities.
• PEU (Professional Educators' Union)moderateOthersProfessional Educators' Union collaborated with SACE to host the Education and Gender Conference in 2023.
• SITAcoreTechnology or IntegrationSITA (State Information Technology Agency) provides the e-services portal infrastructure for SACE's online registration system at eservices.gov.za.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL): National body responsible for teacher standards, registration policy, and accreditation in Australia — a close analogue in scope and mandate to SACE at the national level.
• Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand: Statutory self-regulatory body for New Zealand teachers, performing registration, practising certificate issuance, and conduct review functions directly comparable to SACE's role.
• Education Workforce Council (Wales): Wales' statutory registrar for the education workforce, covering registration, professional standards, and fitness-to-practise hearings in a directly analogous model to SACE.
• Ontario College of Teachers: Canada's largest teacher self-regulatory body, issuing certificates of qualification and registration, accrediting teacher education, and disciplining members — closely mirroring SACE's mandate.
• General Teaching Council for Scotland: Independent statutory body maintaining the teacher register in Scotland, with comparable standards-setting, registration, and professional conduct functions to SACE.
• Teaching Council of Ireland: Statutory body that registers and regulates teachers in Ireland, with functions closely mirroring SACE's registration, professional standards, and fitness-to-teach mandates under national legislation.
• Teaching Regulation Agency (UK): Operates the teacher registration and misconduct systems in England, performing the equivalent statutory registration and Code of Ethics enforcement role that SACE performs in South Africa.

Others

• Council on Higher Education (South Africa): South African partner of SACE under the July 2023 MoA, with an adjacent role in quality assurance of teacher education programmes; relevant as an ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Teachers Registration Board of Tasmania: State-level teacher registration authority in Australia operating on a smaller jurisdictional scale; useful as a comparable statutory teacher registration body even though it does not overlap SACE's national scope.

Broad incumbents

• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): U.S. accreditor for educator preparation programmes, addressing a related but broader pre-service standards function that intersects with SACE's teacher professionalisation mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SACE9
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-african-council-for-educators

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South African Council for Educators