Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed that a breach affecting a small number of 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination papers has been detected, contained, and is now under rigorous investigation in Gauteng.

Speaking on December 11, the Minister assured the public that South Africa’s multi-layered examination and marking system functioned exactly as intended, allowing officials to identify irregularities early and respond swiftly.

The NSC examination process is one of the largest national undertakings, involving more than 900 000 candidates, thousands of invigilators, and 51 000 markers across 183 marking centres.

It was during this extensive marking process, now nearing completion, that trained markers discovered anomalies in six scripts from Gauteng, prompting an immediate investigation.

How the breach was uncovered

The initial red flag emerged on December 2 when the Gauteng Department of Education alerted the national department to suspicious similarities between a learner’s response and official marking guidelines for English Home Language Paper 2.

Gwerube said that this triggered formal protocols, leading to interviews with learners whose scripts were flagged, and later with additional candidates potentially exposed to the leaked content.

“A total of 26 learners were interviewed. Investigators found that several had prior access to the question paper and marking guideline,” the Minister said.

Evidence points to the leak originating from the national department’s offices, where exam papers are set.
The breach was facilitated using a USB storage device and was limited to seven schools in a single Pretoria area.

Scope of the breach

Although 162 papers were set for the 2025 exams, only a small number of subjects were compromised:

English Home Language Papers 1, 2 and 3

Mathematics Papers 1 and 2

Physical Sciences Papers 1 and 2

Investigators have not found any indication that the leak spread beyond the identified schools.

Two Department of Basic Education employees, one in the exam unit and another with a child in Grade 12, have been implicated. Both have been suspended pending further investigation.

Independent task team to lead probe

To strengthen transparency and protect the credibility of the NSC, the Director-General is establishing a National Investigative Task Team (NITT) which includes an independent chairperson, Umalusi, Universities South Africa, Teacher unions, SAQA, department officials and a private forensic investigator.

The NITT will confirm the source of the breach, assess its full extent, identify all learners involved, and recommend measures to protect the integrity of the NSC and prevent future incidents.

Alongside this, additional investigative tools such as forensic analysis, investigative marking, statistical comparison, script verification and correlation with school-based assessments are being deployed.

No impact on national credibility, says Minister

Minister Gwarube emphasised that the integrity of the NSC remains intact.

No exam results have been finalised, and no certification processes have begun.

Preliminary findings will be presented to the National Examination Irregularities Committee on December 12, with a final report submitted to the Minister and Umalusi on December 31.

“This was not evidence of systemic failure but of a system strong enough to detect even isolated breaches among millions of scripts,” Gwerube said.

“As Minister, I will work with the team to study the report to ensure that we are ready to announce the results on January 12, 2026.”

Consequences and next steps

The matter has been reported to SAPS due to the possession and distribution of stolen state property.

Learners implicated will be afforded due process, and the department will continue to communicate directly with the affected schools.

Gwarube stressed that the department remains committed to protecting learners who wrote honestly, ensuring that the NSC retains its credibility and value.

She concluded with a firm warning: attempts to cheat the exam system will be uncovered, investigated, and penalised. The department will continue to act decisively to safeguard the future of all learners and the integrity of South Africa’s national examinations.