A record 200,000 Gauteng candidates set to write matric exams amid high-tech cheating fears

At least 203,794 candidates are expected to sit for the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations in Gauteng, with authorities tightening security measures amid growing concerns over sophisticated technology being used to cheat.

The exams begin on Tuesday and run until 26 November, marking the largest matric examination cohort in the province’s history.

Gauteng Education MEC, Lebogang Maile, confirmed the province’s readiness during a briefing in Johannesburg on Monday, saying the number of registered candidates had increased by 11,049 from the 192,745 enrolled in 2025.

Maile attributed the growth to Gauteng’s expanding population and learner numbers, as well as what he described as confidence in the quality of the province’s education system.

The candidates include full-time learners, part-time candidates and repeaters, with all three categories recording increases.

One figure that has drawn attention is the split between Mathematical Literacy and Pure Mathematics. According to Maile, only 70.7% of full-time candidates are registered for Mathematical Literacy, compared with 29.3% taking Pure Mathematics.

The figures have raised questions about learner participation in subjects that can serve as gateways to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) qualifications.

Meanwhile, Gauteng has registered and audited 1,065 examination centres across the province.

Maile said storage facilities and distribution points had also been audited, with security measures strengthened ahead of the first paper.

The province has also turned its attention to what the MEC described as “cheat-tech”, increasingly sophisticated devices that can be used to conceal information or facilitate cheating during examinations. These include smart glasses, spy pens with hidden recording or display functions, and micro-earpieces.

Maile said security scanners would be used at examination centre entrances to help detect concealed devices, insisting that the measures were intended to protect the credibility of the examinations rather than invade learners’ privacy.

“With the rise of ‘cheat-tech’, students are increasingly using highly sophisticated gadgets to smuggle information into examination centres,” Maile said.

He added that traditional invigilation could struggle to detect miniature technology, making scanners an additional layer of security.

The MEC also pointed to the pledge-signing ceremony held on 9 October as part of efforts to discourage examination irregularities.

Candidates found guilty of disruptive or dishonest conduct face serious consequences, including the cancellation of their results, delays in completing their matric qualification and exclusion from up to three future examination cycles, depending on the severity of the offence.

With the examination period about to begin, Maile has appealed to communities to protect learners’ access to examination centres and avoid protests or other disruptions that could prevent candidates from writing.

He specifically warned against blocking roads leading to schools or barricading school gates, saying the consequences could extend well beyond a missed examination paper.

“Communities are asked not to block access routes to schools or block school gates during the examination process as this has devastating implications for candidates and their families,” he said.

Gauteng achieved an 89.1% matric pass rate in 2025, placing third nationally. The province will now be looking to maintain or improve its performance while managing its biggest examination cohort yet.

The pressure extends beyond Gauteng, with more than one million candidates expected to write the 2026 NSC examinations nationally.

The Department of Basic Education has registered 815,051 full-time candidates for the October and November examinations, according to the figures provided by the department.

🔔 REMINDER | Here’s the official 2026 National Senior Certificate (#NSC) October/November Matric Final Examination Timetable 📝

𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟯 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸, 𝗚𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲! 🎓

👉 Access exam past papers & answer sheets here: https://t.co/VUiFpBlt2k

👉 Access Teacher Support Material here: https://t.co/4esUvP5W3f

#NSC2026
#ClassOf2026GP #GrowingGautengTogether

— Gauteng Department of Education (@EducationGP1) October 11, 2026

Meanwhile, Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, said the national conversation around matric has focused too heavily on the overall pass rate, creating incentives for schools to prioritise the headline figure over broader educational outcomes.

She raised concerns that learners perceived to be academically weaker may be held back and prevented from progressing to Grade 12 in an effort to improve a school’s pass rate.

Gwarube said the department intends to broaden how provincial performance is assessed, looking beyond the percentage of candidates who pass.

The revised approach will take into account indicators such as bachelor passes, learner retention, participation rates and performance in gateway subjects, including Mathematics, Accounting and Science.

“This approach will allow provinces to benchmark their performances in a far more meaningful way, identifying areas that require intervention,” she said.

“The question will not be whether or not our learners have passes, but whether provinces are improving in terms of literacy, numeracy, retention and gateway participation.”

Gwarube also reiterated the department’s zero-tolerance approach to examination irregularities, saying candidate and parent agreements had been reinforced to promote a culture of honesty.

A 24-hour examination hotline is available for members of the public to report suspicious activity.

#GovZAUpdates | Government calls on parents, caregivers and communities to support Matric candidates as they prepare to sit for the National Senior Certificate exams from 13 October 2026. https://t.co/4lHHI10YYW

— Social Protection, Community & Human Development (@SocialClusterZA) October 12, 2026

TO THE CLASS OF 2026 — YOUR FUTURE IS CALLING! 🎓❤️🇿🇦

To every Grade 12 learner preparing to sit for their final examinations, I want you to understand something very important: You are standing at the doorstep of a life you have not yet imagined.

I know the pressure is enormous. I know some of you are scared, exhausted, anxious and wondering whether all those years of hard work will finally pay off. Some of you are studying under difficult circumstances, coming from homes where opportunities are limited, where financial struggles are a daily reality, and where becoming successful feels like an impossible dream.

But listen to me carefully. Your current circumstances are not your final destination.

There is a beautiful life waiting for you on the other side of these examinations. A life filled with opportunities, independence, growth, unforgettable experiences and dreams that will one day become your reality. There are universities you have yet to walk into, cities you have yet to explore, people you have yet to meet, and doors you don’t even know exist that will one day open for you.

One day, you will look back at these stressful examination days and realise that they were only a small chapter in a much bigger, more beautiful story.

I want you to fight for your future. Fight for the life you deserve. Fight for the dreams that sometimes seem too big for the environment you come from.

And please, never allow your background to determine how far you can go. You can come from a small township and still make an impact on the world. You can come from a struggling household and still become the person who changes your family’s story forever.

Study hard. Stay disciplined. Believe in yourself. Pray if you believe in prayer. Give these examinations everything you have, but remember that your worth will never be defined by a single examination result.

And when life doesn’t go according to plan, remember that there is always another road to success. A delayed dream is not necessarily a defeated dream.

My greatest wish is that every one of you gets an opportunity to experience just how beautiful life can become when you refuse to give up on yourself.

The world is so much bigger than the classroom you are sitting in today. And believe me, there is so much goodness, happiness and possibility waiting for you on the other side. ❤️

To the Matric Class of 2026, I wish you strength, wisdom, courage, good health and outstanding results.

Go out there and make yourselves proud. Make your families proud. But above everything else, build a future that makes YOU proud.

Your story is only beginning. The best chapters are still unwritten.

GOOD LUCK, CLASS OF 2026! GO AND CONQUER! 🎓❤️🇿🇦

— Dr_Sizwe_Faith_Sithole (@sizwefaithsitho) October 12, 2026