The study explores the role of school principals in teacher professional development in Ekurhuleni South District and whether they perform their leadership functions as expected. Literature reviewed gave an in-depth understanding of the discourse of teacher professional development from the South African and international perspectives. A qualitative approach was adopted to explore the role of school principals in teacher professional development. Ten primary schools were selected from Ekurhuleni South District using purposive sampling. In each school, the principal, deputy principal, head of department and a post level teacher were interviewed to gather data. The findings of the study revealed that there is little or no support from principals to assist teachers in order to enhance teaching and learning. A lack of resources and development opportunities for principals by their superiors hampers teacher professional development. The main recommendation from this study is that principals should be supported by their cluster leaders, and the school governing bodies should supplement the school funds so that teachers can attend workshops. / Educational Management and Leadership / M. Ed. (Education Management)