Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube emphasised on January 9 that the breach was localised and did not undermine the credibility of the national examination system as a whole.

Gwarube was briefing the media on the findings of an interim report compiled by the National Investigative Task Team.

According to the investigation, 40 candidates from eight schools in Pretoria were implicated.

This represents a fraction of the more than 900 000 candidates who wrote the 2025 National School Certificate examinations.

She said the department was careful to contextualise the scale of the breach to avoid unnecessary panic or reputational harm to schools not involved.

The minister explained that the task team identified seven leaked question papers across three subjects.

These included all three English Home Language papers, both Mathematics papers and both Physical Sciences papers.

The leaked materials were distributed through a combination of digital and physical means, including screenshots, electronic messaging, removable storage devices and printed copies.

Gwarube said the localisation of the breach allowed the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to proceed with the release of examination results for the rest of the country.

However, the results of the 40 affected candidates will be temporarily withheld while formal irregularity processes are concluded.

Each implicated learner will be subjected to an independent hearing overseen by a presiding officer.

Where a learner is found guilty, the matter will proceed through a structured accountability process, starting with the provincial examination irregularity committee. It will be followed by the National Examination Irregularity Committee, and ultimately, the national matric assessment authority, Umalusi, which serves as the final arbiter.

Sanctions may include the nullification of results in affected subjects and a ban from writing the NSC examinations for up to three examination cycles.

The minister said the investigation found no evidence of systemic compromise.

Standardisation indicators showed no abnormal patterns, supporting the conclusion that the breach was contained.

School-level analysis was used only as an investigative tool to identify anomalies, not to assign institutional blame to any school.

Gwarube stressed that culpability rests with individuals and that schools in Pretoria should not be presumed guilty by association.

Of particular concern was the finding that the breach originated within the department’s secure national examination environment in Pretoria.

The task team reported that a DBE official, whose child was an NSC candidate in 2025, is alleged to have been involved, with the learner forming part of the distribution chain, which included the selling of the papers by some of the candidates.

Gwarube confirmed that the department has already instituted internal disciplinary processes, including the precautionary suspension of suspected officials.

The matter has also been referred to the SAPS for investigation into the criminal aspects of the case.

A forensic service provider has been appointed to examine electronic devices and expand the scope of the investigation.

Throughout the briefing, Gwarube underscored the department’s commitment to transparency and accountability.

She said the detection of the breach demonstrated the strength of the marking and quality assurance systems, noting that markers were the first to flag irregular answer patterns.

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