Chairing Disciplinary Hearings — Service and Training
Procedurally fair, independent disciplinary hearings that withstand CCMA scrutiny — plus accredited training so your own managers can chair hearings that hold up. Led by a Labour Commissioner experienced in the discipline process.
The Law of Fair Discipline
A disciplinary hearing is where fairness is won or lost. A hearing that is procedurally unfair — biased chairing, inadequate notice, denied representation — will be overturned at the CCMA regardless of the merits of the misconduct. Conversely, a well-chaired hearing produces a finding that is defensible, consistent, and far less likely to be challenged successfully.
We offer two services. First, we chair disciplinary hearings as an independent external chair, removing any perception of bias and ensuring procedural fairness. Second, we train your managers and HR to chair hearings themselves, building internal capability that reduces reliance on external chairs over time. Our lead is a Labour Commissioner with deep experience of the discipline process.
Disciplinary hearings are governed by the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal, which codifies the requirements of procedural and substantive fairness. The CCMA and Labour Courts apply these requirements strictly, and an unfair procedure will undo an otherwise fair dismissal.
- Code of Good Practice: Dismissal — fair procedure and fair reason
- Right to be informed of charges and to prepare
- Right to representation, to lead and question evidence, and to a finding
- Independence and impartiality of the chairperson
- Consistency of sanctions and the principle of progressive discipline
Our Hearing & Training Process
Charge & Readiness Review
We review the charges and the evidence to confirm the hearing is properly constituted and the employee has been given a fair opportunity to prepare.
Independent Chairing
As external chair, we conduct the hearing impartially — managing the process, ensuring evidence is led and tested, and protecting the rights of both parties.
Findings & Sanction
We deliver reasoned findings on guilt and, where applicable, on sanction, applying the principles of consistency and progressive discipline.
Manager Training Programme
We train your managers and HR to chair hearings — covering the law, the procedure, evidence handling, and writing defensible findings — with practical mock hearings.
Templates & Ongoing Support
We provide hearing templates, charge sheets, and finding formats, and offer ongoing support so your internal chairs stay current and defensible.
What You Receive
- Independent chairing of disciplinary hearings
- Reasoned, written findings on guilt and sanction
- Accredited training programme for internal hearing chairs
- Practical mock hearing exercises with feedback
- Charge sheets, hearing notices, and finding templates
- Ongoing advisory support for internal chairs
Who This Is For
- Employers needing an independent external chair in Gauteng and SADC
- HR managers wanting to build internal chairing capability
- Companies with high disciplinary caseloads seeking consistency
- Organisations wanting to reduce successful CCMA challenges to dismissals
- Line managers and supervisors who chair hearings as part of their role
Case Study: Building Internal Capability
A client with frequent disciplinary hearings relied entirely on external chairs at significant cost and delay. We chaired the complex hearings ourselves while training a group of HR and senior managers to chair routine hearings, using mock hearings to build confidence.
Result: Within six months the client's internal chairs were running routine hearings defensibly, reducing external chairing costs and hearing delays, and the dismissal decisions from those hearings were not successfully challenged at the CCMA.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use an external chair?+
An external chair removes any perception of bias, which is one of the most common grounds for overturning a dismissal at the CCMA. For senior, sensitive, or high-stakes hearings, an independent chair is strongly advisable.
Can our managers really chair hearings themselves?+
Yes, with proper training. Many routine hearings can be chaired internally if the chair understands the law and the procedure. We train your managers to do this defensibly and provide templates and ongoing support.
Is the training accredited?+
Our training is delivered by an ETDP-SETA accredited trainer, assessor, and moderator. We can structure the programme to meet your accreditation and compliance requirements.
What makes a hearing procedurally fair?+
Proper notice of the charges, the right to prepare, the right to representation, the right to lead and question evidence, an impartial chair, and a reasoned finding. We ensure every one of these is present, whether we chair or train your chairs.