Two DBE officials suspended after 2025 matric paper leak

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube announced on Wednesday that two of her department's officials have been suspended following a 2025 matric exam leak. The suspension comes after a localised breach in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) exams was detected when irregularities surfaced during the marking process.

Speaking at a media briefing, Gwarube said the breach was detected when markers identified suspicious patterns while marking English Home Language Paper 2, prompting an immediate internal investigation.

The investigation found that the leak came from within the DBE and implicated two departmental officials. Criminal charges have been filed with the police. The DBE confirmed that three subjects were affected: English Home Language, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences.

Gwarube said the leaked material was allegedly shared via USB and traced to seven schools in the Pretoria area. A total of 26 learners have been identified and flagged for their alleged involvement.

She confirmed that a National Investigative Task Team is finalising a comprehensive report, which will be submitted to both the Minister and Umalusi, the national quality assurance body, by 31 December. Despite the breach, Gwarube emphasised that the system functioned as intended.

“Our systems worked as designed — the breach was detected, isolated, and contained. The credibility of the 2025 NSC remains intact,” Gwarube said.

The DBE says it will continue to strengthen security measures to safeguard the integrity of future examinations.

Marking is expected to be concluded on December 13th.