iLembe District has broken into South Africa’s top ten for matric performance, with a 91.5% pass rate and rising academic momentum.

The district saw 8 945 pupils pass from the 9 776 candidates who wrote the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

This marks a nearly 2% improvement from the Class of 2024, which achieved an 89.56% pass rate, solidifying the district’s reputation as one of KwaZulu-Natal’s strongest-performing districts.

At a provincial level, iLembe claimed an excellent fifth-place ranking, competing closely with the top districts:

1. Umkhanyakude: 93.6%
2. Pinetown: 92.2%
3. Umlazi: 92%
4. Ugu: 91.8%
5. iLembe: 91.5%

Adding to the district’s success, two iLembe pupils earned places among the Top 40 achievers nationally, contributing to KZN’s total of eight top-performing candidates. These exceptional pupils are iLembe’s top achiever, Senamile Tabete from Mathubesizwe Secondary School in Macambini, and Olwethu Dladla of Tugela Secondary School in Mandeni.

In addition to her academic achievements, Tabete displayed strong leadership qualities, serving as head girl and as chairperson of the Representative Council of Learners (RCL) for both her school and district. She represented iLembe in various academic and leadership programmes during Grades 10 and 11, including participation in the BRICS Summit in China in 2023.

Meanwhile, Dladla was further awarded for an excellent performance in mathematics, while Bhayisekile Lusa of Tshelenkosi Secondary School was awarded for woodwork.

The district’s achievements are further underscored by the sustained success of several local schools. Notably, four schools have maintained a 100% pass rate since 2021, a testament to strong leadership and committed teachers and pupils. These schools are Inhlokozi High School in Maphumulo and three Ndwedwe schools: Manaba Secondary School, Ukuzamakwethu Secondary School and in Uyikhulu Secondary School.

Speaking at the NSC results announcement at the Durban International Convention Centre on Tuesday, iLembe District education director, Dr Musa Madondo, said he was proud of the encouraging results.

“Out of the 121 high schools in our district, 29 achieved a 100% pass rate. I was hoping for at least 32 schools to maintain or surpass the 2023 record,” he said.

“In terms of the overall pass rate, I was targeting 93%. While these were our benchmarks, we are extremely excited about the results we achieved and are confident that we can do even better next year.”

KZN education MEC Sipho Hlomuka said the province achieved an overall pass rate of 90.6%, up from 89.5% in 2024.

“This means that 155 258 of the 178 010 pupils who registered to write the 2025 NSC examinations in the province passed.”

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