Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Joy Maimela, stated that while they await the full report from the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on the matric exam breach in Tshwane, they believe that the leaks have been addressed.

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube had previously announced that the results of 40 matric candidates implicated in the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam leak would be temporarily withheld while formal irregularity processes are concluded.

The breach has affected approximately 40 learners from seven schools in the Tshwane area. The DBE previously interviewed 26 learners, whose scripts were flagged during analysis.

The investigation confirmed that they had prior access to question papers and marking guidelines.

Maimela, speaking during the Social Services Cluster Media Briefing on Thursday, said that once they heard of the leaked NSC paper, they demanded a full, comprehensive report from the DBE.

“The department said to us that they had appointed a task team to investigate the breach in full, and you would have seen that the department released that report a day before the release of the official NSC examination results.

“We’ve not received that full report as the committee yet, so that we can interrogate the report and we can assure ourselves that all other issues that pertain to that breach have been dealt with, and indeed, we can have an assurance that this breach only affected 40 learners as the task team alleges,” Maimela said.

“We are going to interface with that comprehensive report and the task team so that we can be assured that indeed, the breach did not compromise the integrity of the NSC results.”

Maimela added that the committee is concerned about teenage pregnancies and statutory rape.

“Over the festive season, media reports indicated that teenagers became parents. This is very concerning and points to a broader societal failure to protect children, especially young girls, from abuse and exploitation.

“Media reports indicate over 130 teenagers gave birth on Christmas and over 160 on New Year’s Day, nearly double last year’s number. In KwaZulu-Natal, several 15-year-old girls gave birth during this time,” Maimela said.

“This data shows that teenage pregnancies remain a serious public health and social challenge across South Africa. We believe that in many cases, teenage pregnancy is often not a matter of choice but a consequence of coercion, power imbalances, and, in many cases, criminal conduct by older men.

“Statutory rape is a serious crime, regardless of consent, and must be treated as such by families, communities, and law enforcement agencies.

“Teen pregnancies disrupt schooling, expose young mothers to health risks, and deepen poverty. The committee urges stronger collaboration among relevant departments (Basic Education, Health, SAPS, and Justice) to prevent pregnancies, improve reporting, and ensure accountability,” she said.

“Protecting learners must remain a national priority, in and beyond the classroom. We commit to intensifying efforts to strengthen education and awareness around statutory rape, to ensure full compliance with mandatory reporting requirements, and to call for a comprehensive review of the implementation status of the Learner Pregnancy Policy and comprehensive sexuality education in schools.”

Maimela said that with the academic year beginning, they are also urging the DBE and provincial Education departments to ensure all systems are ready for teaching and learning from the first day, including timely teaching material delivery, adequate teacher staffing, protection of learning time, and effective implementation of the National School Nutrition Programme and scholar transport.

The committee is currently planning an oversight visit to Limpopo schools from January 26 to 30, 2026, to assess readiness for the academic year. The visit will cover Mopani, Sekhukhune, and Capricorn districts.

theolin.tembo@inl.co.za

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