The Minister of Basic Education, Ms Siviwe Gwarube, briefed the nation on the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in Parliament on 11 December 2025, following the identification of a breach during the marking process. “The breach was detected through the Department’s internal monitoring and oversight systems through our markers’ diligence. We are sending a clear message to the public that you cannot cheat the NSC system and get away with it. We will detect it; we will investigate it; and there will be consequences,” the Minister said.
This year, over 900,000 learners sat for the NSC examinations. Their scripts were marked by approximately 51,000 trained markers, mark capturers and moderators in 183 marking centres across the country. Marking commenced on 1 December and is scheduled to conclude on 13 December 2025.
Minister Gwarube summarised that “Our trained markers detected a breach, our established protocols have contained it, and it is being investigated with the highest rigour. Umalusi, our quality assurer has been informed, and the National Investigative Task Team will begin work immediately to establish the full facts. This has been isolated to a few learners in seven schools in the Pretoria area. The officials suspected of being involved have been placed on suspension with immediate effect; and the matter has been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS) for investigation”.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) officially alerted the DBE on 2 December 2025, to an unusual similarity between the answers provided by a candidate with the answer provided in the marking guideline for English Home Language Paper 2. This raised a red flag and triggered standard protocols, starting with a preliminary investigation, which confirmed that a breach had indeed occurred in respect of a few scripts. Once alerted, the DBE and the GDE assembled a joint investigation team, confirming that the breach occurred at the offices of the DBE, where question papers are set. Of the 162 papers that had been set, only 3 subjects were accessed prior to the examination: English Home Language Papers 1, 2 and 3; Mathematics Papers 1 and 2; and Physical Sciences Papers 1 and 2. These papers were shared via a USB storage device. The spread seems to be confined to identified learners in seven schools in a specific area in Pretoria.
To ensure the highest level of independence and rigour of the investigation, DBE’s Director-General, Mr Mathanzima Mweli, has established a National Investigative Task Team (NITT), and the final report will be submitted to both the Minister and Umalusi on 31 December 2025. The Minister will work with the team to study the report to ensure that the Department is ready to announce the results on 12 January 2026.
The Minister added: “Our exam system is designed with multiple layers of protection, including secure setting and printing; strict distribution protocols; locked storage; trained invigilators; multi-tiered marking by skilled markers; moderation; and advanced statistical verification. We follow a zero-tolerance approach to cheating in the NSC exams and are committed to supporting innocent learners who worked hard and played no part in this breach. Any individual who attempts to manipulate the NSC exam system, whether learner, official, or outsider, will be detected”.
In closing, Minister Gwarube shared a message with matriculants: “Your matric certificate is a symbol of your effort, your resilience, and your integrity. When you cheat, you not only break the rules, but you undermine your own future. I want every learner to know: You never need to cheat to succeed. You are capable. You are talented. You can achieve your ambitions honestly. To the thousands of learners who wrote their papers with honesty, we honour you by detecting those who cheated. This investigation is being conducted to protect you, your achievements, and the value of your NSC certificate. To South Africans, you can rest assured that any cheating in the NSC examinations will be detected. Our systems are strong, our professionals are vigilant, and we will always act to protect the integrity of our national examinations”.