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Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has announced that the Interim Report by the National Investigative Task Team (NITT) into the recent matric examination breach, has found that the leak was in-fact a department employee.
The NITT was setup after 40 matric candidates from eight schools in Tshwane were found to have accessed matric exam papers for English, Mathematics and Physical Science.
Two officials have since been suspended. The second official’s involvement is still subject to further investigation.
Gwarube says it was found that the official leaked the papers to her son who went on to share it with other learners.
“On the evidence available to date, the NITT reported that the breach originated within the DBE’s secure national examinations environment – that is, within the secure environment where NSC question papers are set, processed and managed.”
Gwarube adds, “The NITT further indicated that, on the evidence available to date, a DBE official whose child was an NSC 2025 candidate is alleged to have been involved in this breach, with the learner subsequently forming part of the distribution chain. The NITT is still verifying whether a second official was involved.”
#DBENews |The NITT’s investigation confirms that the leak involved seven question papers:
• English Home Language (Papers 1–3)
• Mathematics (Papers 1–2)
• Physical Sciences (Papers 1–2)The results of the 40 learners linked to the breach will be temporarily withheld pending… pic.twitter.com/FF1BqlBwdh
— Dep. Basic Education (@DBE_SA) January 9, 2026
