A breach of the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations was traced directly to the Department of Basic Education (DBE) national offices in Pretoria, South Africa, affecting papers in three key subjects.
The leak, uncovered on December 2, was linked to 26 learners across seven Pretoria schools, prompting immediate suspensions of two DBE employees and the formation of a high-level investigative task team, according to Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube speaking on Thursday.
Despite the breach originating internally, Minister Gwarube asserted that the quick detection demonstrated the robustness of the country’s exam-security protocols, effectively isolating the compromise before the final results process began.
The security failure was initially flagged by Gauteng markers, who were reviewing scripts for the English Home Language Paper 2. Markers detected "an unusual similarity between the answers provided by a candidate with the answer provided in the marking guideline," an anomaly which Minister Gwarube said "raised an immediate red flag and triggered standard protocols."
Investigators subsequently interviewed 26 learners who were implicated in the breach. The investigative process confirmed that those questioned "admitted having prior access to both the English Home Language Paper 2 question paper and the marking guideline."
Following these admissions, investigators concluded that the compromised paper "could only have originated from the National Department of Basic Education’s offices."
Minister Gwarube, addressing the media briefing on Thursday morning, countered the perception of a system collapse. “Our systems worked exactly as they were designed to do: to detect, isolate, investigate and address any manipulation of the NSC exams,” she said, maintaining that the incident was a successful demonstration of internal safeguards.
The DBE confirmed that the breach extended beyond English Home Language to include Mathematics and Physical Sciences papers. However, the minister stressed the limited scope of the compromise. “The spread seems to be confined to identified learners in seven schools in a specific area in Pretoria,” Gwarube stated, adding there was “no evidence that the breach spread beyond this localised area.”
The National Senior Certificate (NSC) is South Africa’s highest school-leaving qualification, determining access to tertiary education and employment opportunities across the country. The security and integrity of the annual examinations are therefore viewed as paramount to the credibility of the entire education system.
In response to the confirmed breach, the Department of Basic Education has acted quickly to suspend the involved personnel. Two DBE employees—one based in the examinations unit and another who has a child writing Grade 12 exams—were placed on immediate suspension pending disciplinary processes.
Furthermore, Minister Gwarube announced the establishment of a National Investigative Task Team within 24 hours of the briefing. This team is designed to provide comprehensive oversight and independence, comprising representatives including "an independent chairperson; Umalusi; Universities South Africa; Teacher Unions; SAQA; DBE officials; and a private forensic investigator."
The collective mandate is to investigate the security lapse and recommend structural changes to prevent future compromises.
The integrity of the 2025 NSC results remains a national focus, with Minister Gwarube stressing that "no results have been finalised; no certification processes have begun," providing a window for remediation.
The Minister issued a direct warning to potential offenders, asserting, “You cannot cheat the NSC system and get away with it.”
