Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday, Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi said the body wanted to assure the public that the matric exam breach was “localised”.
Gallo Images/OJ Koloti
- Exams quality assurer, Umalusi, announced the approval of the matric results during a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday.
- Umalusi confirmed that the exam leak during the writing of the 2025 National Senior Certificate exams was contained to about 40 candidates in seven schools in Pretoria.
- A total of 903 561 candidates wrote the NSC exams administered under the Department of Basic Education with candidates distributed across 6 955 exam centres.
The 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam leak was contained to about 40 candidates from seven schools in Pretoria, according to exams quality assurer Umalusi.
Addressing a media briefing in Pretoria on Friday, Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi said the body wanted to assure the public that the breach was “localised”.
“While the number of implicated candidates stands at 40, there will be consequences for anyone who is not included in the number should they be discovered later on.”
He added that the report of the National Investigative Task Team, which the Department of Basic Education appointed to investigate the source and spread of the breach was presented to Umalusi on 6 January.
“The leak was limited to three subjects or seven papers.”
READ | Education dept confirms it will publish matric results
During a previous media briefing in December last year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said 26 pupils at seven schools in Pretoria had had access to the NSC question papers in English home language (Papers 1, 2, and 3), mathematics (Papers 1 and 2), and physical science (Papers 1 and 2).
Meanwhile, Umalusi also gave the green light for the release of the 2025 results.
Chairperson of Umalusi’s council, Professor Yunus Ballim, granted approval for the release of the results of the exams administered by the SA Comprehensive Assessment Institute (Sacai), Independent Examinations Board (IEB), Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training.
Concerning the exams administered by the Department of Basic Education, Ballim said the executive committee of the Umalusi council concluded that the exams were administered largely in accordance with the Regulations Pertaining to the Conduct, Administration, and Management of the NSC exams.
He said:
There were no systemic irregularities reported that might have compromised the overall credibility and integrity of the November 2025 NSC exams administered by the Department of Basic Education.
“Exco of council approves the release of the DBE November 2025 National Senior Certificate examination results.”
Concerning the identified irregularities, “the exco of council endorses the DBE’s recommendation to withhold the results of candidates who are implicated in the alleged irregularities, including acts of dishonesty”, he added.
He said that the department was required to address directives for compliance and improvement highlighted in the Quality Assurance of Assessment report and submit an improvement plan by 13 March.
Ballim said that the 2025 end-of-year national examinations conducted by the four assessment bodies were administered in more than 300 subjects at around 9 400 exam centres. “The total number of candidates is approximately 1 026 000 candidates who are distributed across four assessment bodies and four qualifications.
“During the conduct of its quality assurance work from start to finish, Umalusi uncovered specific areas of weakness that the council has directed the relevant assessment bodies to put in place systems to strengthen those areas.”
He said that following repeated lapses in the conduct, administration, and management of assessments and exams by the Department of Higher Education (DHET), Umalusi’s council directed that the DHET be put under close monitoring during 2025.
“Whereas the DHET has improved in some areas, there are areas that still need to be tightened up. In this regard, the DHET has been directed to work closely with Umalusi to address the areas in question to avoid their recurrence.”
Standardisation of NSC results of IEB
There were no systemic irregularities reported that might have compromised the overall credibility and integrity of the November 2025 NSC exams administered by the IEB.
EXCO of Council therefore approves the release of the IEB November… pic.twitter.com/2vkcPDhce8
— Umalusi (@UmalusiSA) January 9, 2026
Referring to the IEB, Ballim said the assessment body administered the NSC exams to 17 414 candidates at 256 exam centres.
“Out of the 58 subject results that were presented to the ASC (Assessment Standards Committee) for standardisation, raw marks were accepted in 47 subjects, upward adjustments were made in seven subjects and mainly downward adjustments in four subjects.”
Sacai’s NSC exams were administered in 24 subjects to 6 168 candidates at 83 exam centres.
Ballim said the raw marks were accepted for nine subjects, the results in 12 subjects were adjusted mainly upwards, and the results in the remaining three subjects were adjusted mainly downwards.
A total of 903 561 candidates wrote the NSC exams under the Department of Basic Education with candidates distributed across 6 955 exam centres.
A total of 68 subjects were presented by the department for standardisation.
He said raw marks were accepted for 56 subjects, the results of seven subjects were adjusted upwards, and the results of five subjects downwards.
