The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the decisive and transparent intervention by Minister Siviwe Gwarube following the serious breach detected in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations. Transparency is the only way forward to protect the credibility of this national assessment and restore public confidence.
With marking having commenced on 1 December and scheduled to conclude on 13 December, trained markers in the Department of Basic Education (DBE) identified an anomaly in six English Home Language Paper 2 scripts in Gauteng, where responses bore an unusual similarity to the official marking guideline. This triggered an immediate investigation by the DBE and the Gauteng Department of Education.
A total of 26 learners were identified for interviews as part of the preliminary investigation. Learners interviewed to date admitted having prior access to both the question paper and marking guideline for English HL Paper 2. The investigation has also confirmed that the breach extended to 3 subject – English Home Language, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences – and is currently confined to seven schools in the Pretoria area.
The DA strongly welcomes the suspension of the two officials suspected of involvement and the opening of criminal charges for the unlawful possession and distribution of examination material. This step is essential. Corruption cannot be allowed to go unchecked, and those who abuse their authority to compromise a national examination process must face full legal consequences. The DA firmly believes in exposing corruption wherever it occurs and in ensuring that those responsible are held fully accountable.
The DA supports the establishment of a National Investigative Task Team comprising an independent chairperson, Umalusi, Universities South Africa, SAQA, teacher unions, DBE officials and an independent forensic investigator. The NITT will verify the full extent of the breach, identify all implicated candidates, and ensure that the credibility of the 2025 NSC is fully protected. This will be supported by investigative marking, script verification, and comparative performance analysis across the affected schools.
The DA welcomes the transparency demonstrated by the Minister and will continue to monitor developments to ensure full accountability for those who attempted to compromise the system, and full protection for the millions of learners who wrote their examinations with honesty and integrity.
The DA further welcomes the Minister’s decisive action to root out alleged corruption within the examination system and her firm commitment to defending the integrity of the NSC. Swift accountability for officials who abuse their positions sends a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated anywhere in the basic education sector.
Please find soundbite by Nazley Sharif MP.