Xolani Khumalo
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube says her department has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to examination irregularities and strengthened candidate and parent pledge agreements to promote honesty and accountability.
The 2026 National Senior Certificate written examinations officially begin tomorrow and will run until November 26.
Nearly 963-thousand full-time and part-time candidates have registered for this year’s examinations, making it the largest full-time matric cohort to date. The department has prepared approximately 7-thousand-100 examination centres across the country to accommodate candidates.
Gwarube says examination papers have undergone quality assurance, while security measures have been strengthened throughout the printing, storage and distribution process to protect the integrity of the examinations.
“I want to ensure the public that the setting, the monitoring and the quality assurance and all the examination materials are complete. All question papers and examination instruments have been rigorously reviewed and have been approved by Umalusi,” said Gwarube.
Click below to Listen to Gwarube’s full audio
A 24-hour examination hotline is available for members of the public to report suspected cheating or other suspicious activities.
The Minister says contingency plans are also in place to respond to operational challenges, including severe weather and community disruptions.
She has also appealed to communities not to disrupt examinations to express dissatisfaction over service delivery or political and socio-economic issues, warning that learners should not be disadvantaged by matters beyond their control.
