This research investigated the instructional leadership roles of selected township principals. Its main focus was therefore to explore and understand the roles and practices engaged in by township principals in order to influence effective teaching and learning in their schools. A qualitative research method was used to conduct a case study with two schools. A total of six participants were purposefully sampled: two principals and four teachers. The data was collected using individual interviews, document analysis and observations. From the data, five themes emerged in this study. Although the findings revealed that there are some principals with a weak and partial understanding of what instructional leadership entails, these principals do put a remarkable effort into executing their instructional roles. Instructional leadership development programmes are necessary for all School Management Team (SMT) members. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)