Saqa is the acronymn for the South African Qualifications Authority. Saqa is the official South African body for registering nationally recognised qualifications. They also register unit standards, which are the building blocks for qualifications.

Saqa is also responsible for the quality assurance of training towards saqa qualifications. This role is outsourced to Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) bodies. Each of the Setas is also and ETQA and some professional bodies, such as the SA Nursing Council, also serve as ETQAs.

It is important to remember that Saqa does not deliver training themselves. They only set the national recognised qualifications and unit standards. Accredited training providers (companies) are the ones responsible for the delivery of training towards Saqa recognised qualifications.

When booking a training course, ask the training provider to show you there accreditation documentation to ensure that they are actually accredited for the training course that they are delivering.