By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Investigative Task Team (NITT) interim report revealed the matric exam breach originated within the department of Basic Education’s secure national examinations environment where papers are set, processed, and managed.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube presented the interim findings and recommendations of the NITT on the 2025 NSC examination breach.
Gwarube said during a media briefing on 11 December 2025, markers had flagged an unusual similarity between the answers written by a student writing the English Home Language Paper 2 and the marking guidelines.
The papers affected were English Home Language Paper 1, 2, and 3; Mathematics Paper 1 and 2; and Physical Sciences Paper 1 and 2.
More than 204 000 candidates wrote Physical Sciences, over 254 000 wrote Mathematics, and 135 090 sat for English Home Language.
According to evidence gathered during the independent investigation, it was confirmed that an Education Department official – whose child was an NSC 2025 candidate – was located in the human resources department and a possible second suspected official remains subject to corroboration through the ongoing forensic and investigative work.
The son of the human resources employee is alleged to have been involved in this breach, and he subsequently formed part of the distribution chain.
The NITT reported that the breach was contained to 40 candidates in the Tshwane area, across eight schools, and therefore localised.
Gwarube said action had already been taken against alleged corrupt department officials by putting them under precautionary suspension, pending possible internal disciplinary action and criminal charges.
The minister added that the results of the 40 implicated candidates would be withheld temporarily while investigations continue. Each candidate will be subjected to an independent hearing.
“The NITT also noted that a possible second suspected official remains subject to corroboration through the ongoing forensic and investigative work.”
The matter has been reported to the SA Police Service.
According to NITT Chairperson, Professor Chika Sehoole, ChatGPT was one of the portals used to reformulate answers.
“Based on leaked marking guidelines, Meta AI and ChatGPT were also used by some candidates to structure and reformulate answers. Individual papers with marking guidelines were sold as well as individual pages depending on affordability of items or finances of candidates, “said Professor Sehoole.
In total, 17 centres were investigated. Subjects audited included Economics, Geography, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Life Sciences and English Home Language papers 1, 2 and 3.
He said between 17 and more than 200 candidates were reviewed per centre.
Learner interviews formed the third pillar of the investigation.
Sehoole said the interviews included learners, parents and guardians and were conducted in phases, alongside administrative verification, invigilator interviews and content analysis of written learner statements.
“All candidates interviewed were required to submit written statements, which were analysed and cross-validated with other evidence, “Sehoole said.
Gwarube will announce the overall results on the evening of 12 January 2026. Individual results become available from the morning of 13 January 2026 via:
- Your school or exam centre (strongly recommended); or
- SMS, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) or the Department of Basic Education (DBE) website from 6am.
The DBE confirmed on Wednesday, 7 January that the NSC exam results will be released to accredited newspapers for publication on 13 January 2026. They will appear in a pseudonymised format, showing only examination numbers and marks, without names, surnames or ID numbers, as has been standard in recent years.
This approach aligns with a court order issued on 18 January 2022, which the department says legally obliges it to protect pupils’ personal information. Publishing NSC results in newspapers remains a vital, accessible way for pupils and parents to access them promptly. Gwarube emphasised that this court-endorsed method strikes a balance between transparency and privacy protection.
The department will oppose an application for leave to appeal by the Information Regulator. It argued the appeal had “no reasonable prospects of success” due to existing court clarity, adding that its opposition to the move was in the best interests of pupils, families and the education sector. The department stressed its continued respect for the regulator’s constitutional role.