1. Purpose
This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") defines the standards of acceptable and prohibited conduct on TeachSA Connect ("the Platform"), a verification driven hiring platform for South African educators and educational institutions.
Effective Date: 13 April 2026
This AUP applies to all users of the Platform, including seekers (educators seeking employment), posters (schools and institutions posting vacancies), and administrators. It should be read in conjunction with our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, and Verification Consent documents.
By accessing or using TeachSA Connect, you agree to comply with this AUP. We reserve the right to update this policy as necessary. Continued use of the Platform following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
2. Scope
This AUP applies to all forms of access to and interaction with the Platform, including but not limited to:
- Web portals: seeker.teachsaconnect.co.za, poster.teachsaconnect.co.za, admin.teachsaconnect.co.za, and teachsaconnect.co.za (marketing site).
- Mobile applications: TeachSA Seeker and TeachSA Poster apps for Android and iOS.
- API interactions: Any programmatic access to TeachSA Connect services, whether authorised or attempted.
- Communications: All messages, notifications, emails, and other communications sent through or initiated via the Platform.
- Uploaded content: Documents, images, profile information, job postings, and any other material submitted to the Platform.
This AUP applies regardless of whether you access the Platform from within the Republic of South Africa or from any other jurisdiction.
3. Acceptable Use
The Platform is intended exclusively for legitimate education employment purposes in South Africa. You agree to use the Platform only for its intended purpose and in compliance with all applicable South African laws.
Seekers must:
- Maintain accurate and up to date profile information at all times.
- Apply only for positions they are genuinely interested in and qualified for.
- Upload authentic, unaltered documents that belong to them.
- Respond to communications from institutions and TeachSA in a timely, professional manner.
- Keep login credentials confidential and not share account access with others.
Posters must:
- Post only legitimate, currently available vacancies at real educational institutions.
- Use candidate data exclusively for the purpose of evaluating and hiring educators.
- Provide accurate institution information, including school name, location, and type.
- Comply with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 in all hiring practices.
- Handle candidate personal information in accordance with POPIA requirements.
All users must:
- Treat other users with respect and professionalism.
- Report any suspicious activity, security vulnerabilities, or policy violations.
- Use the Platform only through the provided interfaces (web portals, mobile apps, authorised APIs).
4. Prohibited Conduct, General
The following conduct is strictly prohibited on TeachSA Connect. Users engaging in any of the following activities may face immediate enforcement action:
- Unlawful activity: Using the Platform for any purpose that violates South African law or any applicable international law.
- Harassment, discrimination, and hate speech: Engaging in conduct that harasses, discriminates against, or targets any individual or group based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, ethnic origin, or any other protected characteristic under the Equality Act (PEPUDA) or Constitution.
- Impersonation: Pretending to be another person, institution, or entity, or falsely claiming an affiliation with any person or organisation.
- Spam and unsolicited communication: Sending bulk, unsolicited, or repetitive messages to other users; distributing advertising or promotional material without consent.
- Disruption of platform services: Deliberately interfering with, degrading, or disrupting the operation of the Platform or any related systems, networks, or services.
- Intimidation or threats: Making threats of violence, harm, or legal action intended to intimidate or coerce other users.
- Commercial solicitation: Using the Platform for commercial purposes outside its intended scope, including soliciting users for competing services, multi level marketing, or unrelated business ventures.
- Circumventing platform fees or restrictions: Attempting to bypass subscription requirements, fee structures, boost limitations, or other platform controls, including taking hiring conversations off platform to avoid tracking.
5. Prohibited Conduct, Verification and Documents
TeachSA Connect operates a rigorous verification pipeline to ensure trust and safety. The following conduct related to verification and document submission is strictly prohibited:
- Forged or fraudulent documents: Submitting forged, altered, fabricated, or otherwise fraudulent documents of any kind, including qualifications, identity documents, reference letters, or certificates.
- Identity fraud:Using another person's identity documents, SA ID number, or passport number to create an account or undergo verification.
- Submitting others' documents: Uploading documents that belong to another person as if they were your own.
- Manipulating verification outcomes: Attempting to influence, manipulate, or game the verification process, including trust scores, AI analysis, or admin review outcomes.
- Resubmitting rejected documents without correction: Resubmitting the same documents that have previously been rejected without making the necessary corrections or addressing the reasons for rejection.
- Sharing verification artefacts:Sharing, distributing, or selling verification certificates, badges, or documents obtained through another user's verification process.
- Misrepresenting qualifications or SACE registration: Claiming qualifications, teaching experience, or South African Council for Educators (SACE) registration status that you do not possess.
Document fraud is a criminal offence under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004 and may be reported to the South African Police Service.
6. Prohibited Conduct, Data and Security
The security and integrity of the Platform and its users' data are paramount. The following activities are strictly prohibited:
- Unauthorised access:Accessing or attempting to access accounts, systems, or data that you are not authorised to access, including other users' accounts, admin panels, or backend systems.
- Data scraping, crawling, and harvesting: Using automated tools, scripts, bots, or any other means to extract, scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Platform, including user profiles, job listings, or contact information.
- Reverse engineering: Decompiling, disassembling, reverse engineering, or otherwise attempting to derive the source code, algorithms, or architecture of the Platform or any of its components.
- Malware and viruses: Uploading, transmitting, or distributing files containing viruses, trojans, worms, malware, ransomware, or any other harmful code. All uploaded files are scanned for malware and malicious files will be detected and quarantined automatically.
- Bypassing security controls: Attempting to circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security features, authentication mechanisms, rate limiting, or access controls on the Platform.
- Unauthorised automated tools: Using bots, crawlers, scrapers, or any automated systems to interact with the Platform without prior written authorisation from TeachSA Connect.
- Unauthorised security testing: Conducting penetration tests, vulnerability scans, or other security assessments of the Platform without prior written consent from TeachSA Connect.
- Data extraction for external use: Extracting candidate or employer data from the Platform for use in external systems, databases, or services, or for any purpose not directly related to legitimate hiring activities on the Platform.
Unauthorised access to computer systems is a criminal offence under the Cybercrimes Act 19 of 2020 and will be reported to law enforcement.
7. Prohibited Conduct, Hiring and Employment
The Platform exists to facilitate fair, transparent, and lawful education hiring. The following practices are prohibited:
- Discriminatory hiring: Making hiring decisions based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic origin, HIV status, or any other ground prohibited by the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and the Constitution.
- Misleading job postings: Posting vacancies containing false or misleading information about the position, including salary, location, duties, contract type, or institution identity.
- Corruption and bribery: Requiring, soliciting, or accepting personal favours, bribes, sexual favours, or any other inducement in exchange for employment opportunities or favourable treatment.
- Misuse of candidate personal information: Using personal information shared by candidates through the Platform for any purpose other than evaluating their suitability for an advertised position.
- Off platform contact to avoid tracking: Contacting candidates through external channels (personal email, WhatsApp, phone) specifically to avoid Platform tracking, auditing, or fee structures.
- Ghost postings: Posting positions that do not genuinely exist or for which the institution has no intention of hiring, including postings made solely to collect candidate data.
TeachSA Connect is committed to promoting fair labour practices in accordance with the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997.
8. Content Standards
All content uploaded to or shared through the Platform must comply with the following standards:
All uploaded content must be:
- Accurate, truthful, and not misleading.
- Yours to share, you must hold the rights or have authorisation to upload the content.
- Free from malware, viruses, or any harmful code.
- Not infringing on any third party intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademarks, or trade secrets.
- Not defamatory, obscene, hateful, threatening, or otherwise objectionable.
Profile image requirements:
- Seekers: Profile pictures must be a clear, recent photograph of the user. Stock images, celebrity photos, or images of other persons are not permitted.
- Posters:Profile images should be the institution's logo, crest, or official branding. Images of individuals are not appropriate for institutional accounts.
Content that is strictly prohibited:
- Explicit or sexually suggestive imagery or text.
- Violent, graphic, or disturbing content.
- Discriminatory imagery or symbols, including hate symbols.
- Content promoting illegal activities.
- Content that violates the Films and Publications Act 65 of 1996 or any other applicable South African legislation.
9. Monitoring and Enforcement
TeachSA Connect reserves the right to monitor Platform activity to ensure compliance with this AUP and to protect the safety, security, and integrity of the Platform and its users. Monitoring activities include:
- Activity monitoring: Reviewing user actions, login patterns, and usage behaviour for signs of misuse, fraud, or policy violations.
- Document review: Examining uploaded documents as part of the verification process, including automated review and manual administrator review.
- Malware scanning: All uploaded files are automatically scanned to detect and quarantine malicious content before processing.
- Fraud detection: Flagging suspicious verification patterns through automated analysis. Anything unusual is escalated to an administrator for review.
- Violation investigation: Investigating reports of policy violations submitted by other users or identified through automated monitoring.
All monitoring activities are conducted in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and our Privacy Policy. We process personal information for monitoring purposes based on our legitimate interest in maintaining Platform safety and security, as well as our legal obligations.
10. Consequences of Violation
Violations of this AUP may result in the following enforcement actions, applied at TeachSA's sole discretion based on the nature and severity of the violation:
- Warning: A formal notice advising you of the violation and requiring immediate corrective action. Warnings are documented on your account record.
- Suspension: Temporary restriction of your access to the Platform, including inability to apply for positions (seekers), post vacancies (posters), or access services. Duration determined by severity, typically 7 to 90 days.
- Termination: Permanent closure of your account and revocation of all Platform access. Terminated accounts cannot be re registered.
- Reporting to authorities: Where violations constitute criminal offences (fraud, identity theft, corruption, cybercrimes), TeachSA reserves the right to report the matter to the South African Police Service, the Information Regulator, or other relevant authorities.
Graduated enforcement approach:
- First offence: Warning with explanation and corrective requirements, unless the violation is severe (fraud, security breach, criminal conduct).
- Repeat offences: Escalating enforcement, longer suspensions progressing to permanent termination.
- Severe violations: Immediate suspension or termination without prior warning for criminal conduct, fraud, security breaches, or conduct posing immediate risk to other users.
Right to appeal: You have the right to appeal any enforcement action by emailing support@teachsaconnect.co.za within 14 days of the action. Appeals will be reviewed by a senior administrator not involved in the original decision within 10 business days.
11. Reporting Violations
We encourage all users to report suspected violations of this AUP. Reports help maintain the safety, trust, and integrity of the Platform for all users.
How to report:
- Email: Send a detailed report to support@teachsaconnect.co.za with the subject line "AUP Violation Report".
- In platform reporting: Use the reporting feature available within the Platform to flag inappropriate content, suspicious users, or policy violations directly.
Whistleblower protection:
In accordance with the Protected Disclosures Act 26 of 2000, users who report violations in good faith are protected from retaliation. TeachSA Connect will not take adverse action against any user for reporting a genuine concern, and will take reasonable steps to protect the identity of reporters.
Investigation process:
- All reports are acknowledged within 2 business days.
- Reports are assigned to a designated investigator for review.
- Investigations are typically completed within 10 business days, though complex cases may require additional time.
- The reporter will be notified of the outcome where appropriate, subject to privacy constraints regarding the reported party.
12. Limitation of Liability
TeachSA Connect is a technology platform that facilitates connections between educators and educational institutions. While we endeavour to maintain a safe and trustworthy Platform, we cannot control the actions of individual users.
TeachSA Connect is not liable for:
- User generated content: Content uploaded, shared, or transmitted by users, including job postings, profile information, and documents.
- User interactions: Interactions, communications, or disputes between users, whether occurring on or off the Platform.
- Hiring decisions: Employment decisions made by poster institutions, including decisions to hire, not hire, or terminate employment.
- Outcomes of introductions: Any consequences arising from introductions, connections, or matches facilitated through the Platform.
For full details on limitations of liability, please refer to our Disclaimer and Terms and Conditions.
13. Changes to This Policy
TeachSA Connect reserves the right to modify, amend, or update this Acceptable Use Policy at any time. We will provide reasonable notice of material changes as follows:
- 30-day notice: Material changes to this AUP will be communicated at least 30 days before they take effect, via email notification and/or an in platform banner announcement.
- Continued use constitutes acceptance: Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
- Right to discontinue: If you do not agree with the revised policy, you should discontinue use of the Platform and close your account.
The most current version of this AUP will always be available at teachsaconnect.co.za/acceptable-use.
14. Contact
If you have any questions about this Acceptable Use Policy or wish to report a violation, please contact us:
This AUP is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa and should be interpreted in accordance with POPIA, ECTA, and the Consumer Protection Act.