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Why 40 Pretoria Matrics Could Lose Their 2025 Certificates

Published

15 hours ago

January 9, 2026

Chiraag

matric exam breach 2025, Umalusi investigation, Pretoria matric exams, NSC exam leak, Department of Basic Education, Joburg ETC

Bad news for matrics caught up in the 2025 exam leak

For most matrics, January is meant to be about relief, celebration, and planning what comes next. For a small group of learners in Pretoria, however, the new year has arrived with a heavy cloud hanging over their futures.

South Africa’s exam quality watchdog, Umalusi, has confirmed that 40 learners are implicated in a breach linked to the 2025 National Senior Certificate exams. The consequences could be severe, including the cancellation of matric certificates even after results have been released.

What actually happened

Speaking at a media briefing on 9 January 2025, Umalusi CEO Mafu Rakometsi stressed that the leak was contained and limited in scope. According to the council, the breach involved Mathematics Papers 1 and 2, Physical Sciences Papers 1 and 2, and English Home Language Papers 1, 2, and 3.

The affected learners were spread across seven examination centres in the Pretoria area. A national task team was set up immediately once the breach was confirmed, with the aim of tracking how the papers were accessed and how widely they circulated.

Umalusi has been at pains to reassure parents, universities, and employers that the integrity of the overall 2025 matric results remains intact. The council maintains that a localised breach involving 40 candidates cannot undermine the credibility of the national examination system as a whole.

Why certificates are now at risk

The real sting in the tail lies in what happens next. Umalusi has the legal authority to cancel a learner’s certificate if an investigation finds that exam requirements were not properly met. If a certificate is cancelled, the learner can be formally instructed to return it within three weeks.

Failure to comply with such a notice is a criminal offence, carrying the possibility of a fine or even imprisonment of up to six months. While this is a worst-case scenario, it underscores how seriously exam integrity is treated in South Africa.

How the breach was uncovered

The Department of Basic Education revealed that the irregularities were picked up during the marking process in early December 2025. Internal monitoring systems flagged unusual patterns that prompted a deeper investigation.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube later explained that markers noticed striking similarities between a learner’s English Home Language Paper 2 answers and the official marking guidelines. This discovery opened the door to further checks, which eventually linked at least 25 additional learners and six more exam papers to the breach.

Eight of the implicated learners were interviewed after the Gauteng education department escalated the matter nationally. Those learners admitted they had access to the exam material before sitting for the papers.

A sensitive moment for matrics and parents

On social media, reactions have been mixed. Many South Africans have expressed sympathy for honest learners who fear being unfairly tainted by the scandal. Others have welcomed the firm stance, arguing that strict consequences are necessary to protect the value of the matric certificate.

For families in Pretoria, the situation is particularly tense. University applications, bursaries, and career plans often hinge on final matric results. The idea that a certificate could be withdrawn weeks or months later has sparked anxiety and debate about fairness and due process.

Exam leaks are not new, but lessons remain

South Africa has faced similar challenges before. In 2020, widespread leaks of Mathematics and Physical Sciences papers nearly forced a national rewrite, a move later blocked by the courts. In 2022, allegations surfaced in Mpumalanga that teachers had shared answers with learners via WhatsApp. More recently, the 2024 matric results were illegally sold online, even though no exam papers themselves were leaked.

Against that backdrop, the 2025 breach appears smaller and more contained. Still, it serves as a reminder that exam security remains a constant battle, especially in a digital age where information travels fast.

What happens next

Investigations are ongoing, and Umalusi has not yet confirmed final outcomes for the learners involved. What is clear is that the council intends to follow the law to the letter. For the vast majority of matrics who played by the rules, officials insist there is no reason to worry.

For the 40 learners at the centre of the storm, however, the weeks ahead could determine whether their school careers truly came to an end in December or whether they face a far more difficult road forward.