The Director-General for the Department of Basic Education, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, recently embarked on his annual monitoring and oversight visits to marking centres across all nine provinces. Mr Mweli’s visits commenced on 29 November in the Western Cape Province and he visited the North West Province on 30 November 2025.

This week, DG Mweli visited the Northern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga Provinces from 1 to 5 November 2025. During his visits, he ensures that he covers at least 20 marking centres per day.

The National Senior Certificate (NCS) examinations concluded on 27 November 2025, and markers have reported to their various centres to mark the Grade 12 papers.

Mr Mweli emphasised that all markers were on a national call when marking the Grade 12 papers: “I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for leaving the comfort of your homes to come to marking centres to perform your national duty; this is not taken for granted, it is highly valued by the Department of Basic Education. People of your calibre are referred to as National, Priceless, Precious Assets (NPPA). You have sacrificed quality time with your families. Oversight visits reinforce confidence in compliance, integrity, and national quality-assurance standards. Markers are encouraged to uphold the highest standards of fairness, accuracy, and ethical conduct whilst maintaining healthy routines that support sustained focus and precision”.

From 6-11 December, the DG will be finishing Mpumalanga and covering KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape Marking Centres.

The various MECs have indicated their appreciation and welcomed DG Mweli’s visits to the provinces and have committed to ensuring that 24-hour security is available to protect the safety of the markers, as well as the scripts. The marking process is expected to be completed on 12 December 2025.