During the third week of the daily National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination reflection meetings with National and Provincial Examination Teams, it was reported that the halfway mark was reached on 29 October 2026, and as of 2 November 2026, 53% of the papers had been written.
Basic Education Director-General (DG), Mr Mathanzima Mweli, has been convening these daily meetings since the commencement of the examinations on 13 October 2026 to ensure that administration progresses smoothly across the various provinces. A multidisciplinary approach is being utilised to ensure learners are holistically supported, whilst writing their NSC examinations. This team comprises not only officials from the Examinations Chief Directorate directly involved in the conduct, administration, and management of the exams, but also representatives from Psychosocial Support Services, Communications, and the Office of the Director-General.
During the meeting, the DG expressed his appreciation to Advocate Alison Bengtson, Ms Nadine Pote and the team from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) for their swift intervention during the suspension of transport services by operators in the province on 2 November, which nearly left 2,000 learners stranded without transport to their examination centres. The GDE, along with district officials, School Governing Bodies (SGBs), teachers and parents, turned the dire situation into an excellent example of teamwork to ensure that candidates were able to write their examinations on the day. Mr Mweli called upon provinces to expedite investigations into irregularities experienced during the examinations ahead of the standardisation meetings with Umalusi, so that the Irregularities Report can be compiled ahead of the 5 January 2027 approval meeting.
In congratulating the GDE, whilst reflecting on community intervention strategies during the suspension of transport services, Ms Pricilla Ogunbanjo, Chief Director: National Assessment and Public Examinations, reminded officials of the African proverb: “The eagle has learnt to fly without perching, and the hunter has learnt to shoot without missing”. This proverb about mastery and excellence was her way of expressing the level of excellence displayed by examination managers across provinces in handling difficult emergency situations with aplomb.
She also expressed her appreciation to the Provincial Education Departments (PEDs) for their mitigation strategies during the past week to ensure that the examinations proceeded with minimal disruption and irregularities. These included, amongst others, ensuring that learners who fell ill were able to complete their examinations in hospital under strict examination protocols, and responding to the taxi strikes and gang violence. High absenteeism among part-time candidates, learner suicides, the use of cellphones and Meta AI-generated crib notes, and teachers dictating answers remained challenges. She re-emphasised the need for psychosocial support.
Mr Christo Thurston, Acting Director: Public Examinations, led the provincial reporting sessions, confirming that the examinations were proceeding well owing to community support. Quoting the proverb “A river does not forget its source, no matter how far it has travelled”, he reminded officials that, although there are many provinces, we serve one nation. He added that action would be taken against officials who turned candidates away from examination venues.
Mr Seliki Tlhabane, Acting Deputy Director-General for Curriculum Policy, Support and Monitoring, raised concerns about learner suicides and the increase in absenteeism in gateway subjects, as these could impact the overall results.
Mr Standly Ndlovu, Chief Director for Care and Support in Schools, appealed to all to share weekly updates and to follow up on all reported cases to ensure learner wellbeing through enhanced psychosocial support.
The weather team again provided daily updates on weather conditions across provinces, highlighting fair to hot weather, especially in the Western Cape, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, with Level 4 thunderstorm warnings issued for Gauteng, North West and the Free State.
Ms Simoné Geyer, Deputy Director-General for Delivery and Support, expressed her gratitude to provinces for their detailed reports, and said that she was particularly impressed by the way in which the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) had mitigated disruptions caused by gang and taxi violence and the hijacking of government vehicles in the province.
In closing, Mr Mweli reminded all officials of their civic responsibility and duty to vote on 4 November 2026 and noted that learners would not be writing from 3 to 5 November owing to the Local Government Elections. The NSC examinations resumed on 6 November 2026.