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·      The Mpumalanga Department of Education is investigating cheating at Seme Secondary School in Daggakraal near Volksrust ·      There was no paper leak and it appears as if invigilators assisted the learners ·      The province has had to deal with similar incidents in previous years

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Allegations of cheating in the 2025 Mpumalanga matric class have blighted the province’s 1.5% improvement from the previous year.

The scandal involves learners from Seme Secondary School in Daggakraal near Volksrust whose answers on their Geography paper raised a red flag.

The school’s authorities, according to sources, have tried to sit on the matter even though results of the affected learners have been withheld pending an investigation.

A source said that neither staff members nor parents were informed about reasons the results were withheld. “There was no paper leak and it may seem that some of the invigilators assisted the learners with answers,” a source said.

“It is surprising though that nothing formal has been communicated to parents and staff members at the school. This is a big scandal. The learners have been in the dark since results were released.”

The province has had to deal with isolated cheating incidents in the past.

In 2022, over 400 learners in Bushbuckridge were found to have cheated . They obtained answers via a WhatsApp group called "Road to Varsity." Their results were withheld but they fought through the Mpumalanga High Court, which ordered the release of the results in 2024.

Basic Education minister, Siviwe Gwarube, successfully appealed the decision on November 25 last year.

Three judges who presided over the appeal found that the learners did not exhaust all the internal processes to have their results released before they approached the court.

“Equally important is the duty to see to it that every matriculant is treated fairly and not painted with the same brush used for the transgressors. That duty is on the Appellants and would be safeguarded by the courts to ensure that every learner gets a fair opportunity to sit for Senior Certificate examinations. Any irregularity that is proved should be frowned upon and corrected. This would also apply to irregularities in disciplinary processes, appeals and/or review applications,” read the court judgement.

“For all the reasons stated herein and in particular, that the internal remedies available to the respondents (learners) have not been exhausted, the appeal stands to be upheld.”

Mpumalanga education spokesperson, Jasper Zwane, confirmed that a “sizable” number of candidates were flagged through an established detection processes on suspicion of examination irregularities in the Geography paper.

“As a precautionary and regulatory measure, results in the implicated subject (Geography) have been blocked pending the finalisation of disciplinary processes. This ensures that the credibility of the National Senior Certificate is protected while due process is allowed to unfold,” Zwane said.

He said investigations had been completed and the process had now progressed to the hearing phase to determine whether any officials or invigilators were implicated.

Zwane said that the management of public examinations was governed by a highly sophisticated system designed to safeguard the integrity, credibility, and fairness of the process. 

“This  incorporates stringent monitoring, detection and accountability mechanisms which ensure that any form of irregularity, whether by candidates or officials, is identified, investigated and dealt with decisively in line with prescribed regulations,” he said.

Zwane said that all implicated candidates and their parents were notified and disciplinary hearings had been duly scheduled. 

Zwane said that the Seme Secondary School incident was not isolated, but would not disclose the names of schools or candidates until cases had been finalised and outcomes confirmed.

“The examination system continuously monitors all centres across the province, and where irregularities are detected, similar processes are instituted,” he said.

“Through these measures,” Zwane added, “the department ensures that the public examination system remains credible and uncompromising in upholding ethical conduct.”

Mpumalanga achieved an 86.55% pass rate in 2025. In 2024 it was 84.99%. The province produced 28 610 bachelors passes, with 56 schools achieving a 100% pass rate.