Seven Pretoria schools implicated in Matric 2025 exam Breach — DBE warns of serious consequences
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has confirmed that seven schools in a specific area of Pretoria are at the centre of the 2025 matric examination breach — but has declined to publicly name them, warning that doing so would cause unnecessary panic among parents and learners.
Speaking to the media in Parliament on Thursday, Gwarube said the Department of Basic Education (DBE) had deliberately chosen a measured approach as investigations intensify into the leaking of multiple National Senior Certificate (NSC) question papers.
“We are also think about this because we want to be transparent as possible. The problem thou is that should we reveal the names of the schools we are going to create panic for both learners and parents. So, we have to individually connect with the schools and work with them. But we do not want to cause unnecessary panic. These schools are in a specific area in Pretoria. Our systems were able to narrow them down.”
The breach — detected during the marking process through investigative marking protocols — has sent shockwaves through the education sector, given the high stakes attached to the matric qualification and the proximity to the expected results release on January 13, 2026, as outlined in the official timeline here.
Which papers were leaked — and how far it spread
Gwarube confirmed that English, Mathematics and Physical Sciences question papers were accessed before the examinations were written.
“The breach occurred at the offices of the DBE where question papers are assessed. Of the 162 papers that we have set, seven papers were accessed prior to the examination. These are English paper one, two and three. Mathematics one and two. Physical Sciences paper one and two.”
According to the minister, the leaked papers were shared via a USB storage device, a factor investigators believe helped limit the spread.
“These papers were shared via a USB storage device. The spread seems to be confined to seven schools in a specific area in Pretoria. At this stage there is no evidence to show that the breach has spread beyond this localised area. However, we are continuing our investigation.”
How the breach was detected — and why it triggered alarm
The DBE has explained that the breach was identified when trained markers detected responses that closely mirrored confidential marking guidelines, something regarded as highly irregular given that matric questions are novel and unseen.
“Our trained markers detected a breach,” the minister said previously.
“Our system is designed to pick up irregularities in responses, writing patterns, statistical outliers, and centre-level performance trends.”
This triggered immediate escalation and the activation of national examination irregularity procedures.
Learners and officials identified — suspensions already in place
The DBE has identified 26 Grade 12 learners from the implicated schools, along with two departmental employees, as suspects in the breach.
Of the learners identified, several have admitted during interviews to accessing the leaked question papers, which were shared via USB storage devices.
Both officials have been placed on suspension with immediate effect, while implicated learners now face disciplinary processes under national examination irregularities regulations.
While the department has stressed that each case will be assessed individually, learners found guilty could face serious consequences, including:
- nullification of affected exam results
- disqualification from the 2025 NSC
- bans from writing future NSC exams for multiple cycles
Criminal investigations are also under way, as the possession and distribution of leaked exam papers constitute stolen state property.
“We are not making assumptions about guilt – each case will be individually assessed,” Gwarube said.
“We have reported this incident to the South African Police Services for the criminal aspects of this case to be investigated.”
National task team, forensic probe and Umalusi oversight
A National Investigative Task Team has been established and will begin work immediately to:
- establish the full facts
- confirm the source of the leak
- verify whether the breach was fully contained
- safeguard the credibility of the NSC
Umalusi, the national quality assurer, has been formally informed and will receive both a preliminary report on December 29 and a final report on December 31, ahead of results approval.
“We will leave no stone unturned. And we will not compromise the future of thousands of honest learners because of the actions of a few,” Gwarube said.
Why the schools’ names are being withheld — for now
The decision not to name the seven schools has drawn mixed reactions, but the minister defended it as necessary to protect innocent learners while due process unfolds.
Premature disclosure, she warned, could unfairly stigmatise entire school communities — including pupils who had no involvement in the breach.
Instead, the DBE will engage directly with the affected schools, parents and governing bodies as investigations continue.
Echoes of past matric scandals
The latest security breach has revived public memory of previous crises in exam integrity. Most recently, the 2024 matric results leak involved the company Edumarks and culminated in a Hawks investigation, leading to the arrest of a 21-year-old suspect linked to the scandal.
This incident followed an earlier crisis in 2020, when Mathematics Paper 2 and Physical Sciences Paper 2 were leaked. DBE’s initial decision to order a national rewrite was overturned by a High Court challenge. Investigations ultimately concluded the overall integrity of the exams was not compromised, as the leaks were found to be limited.
What this means for the rest of the Class of 2025
For the more than 900,000 learners who wrote matric this year — the largest cohort in South Africa’s history — the DBE has reiterated that:
- the breach is localised, not systemic
- marking and verification processes are continuing
- innocent learners will not be penalised
Learners and parents are encouraged to rely only on official platforms when results are released. A guide on how to check matric results safely is available here.
As investigations deepen, attention is now firmly on whether disciplinary and criminal processes — particularly those involving the seven implicated Pretoria schools — could still affect the final approval and release of the 2025 matric results.
For now, the DBE’s message remains uncompromising:
“Any individual who attempts to manipulate the NSC exam system, whether learner, official, or outsider, will be detected.”
