The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, has announced the provincial and national Matric pass rates for the 2025 exams.
Provincial Matric Pass Rates
KZN - 90.6%
Free State - 89.33%
Gauteng - 89.06%
North West - 88.49%
Western Cape - 88.2%
Northern Cape - 87.79% (Biggest improvement of all provinces)
Mpumalanga - 86.55%
Limpopo - 86.15%
Eastern Cape - 84.17%
Top Performing Districts
- Gauteng: Johannesburg West - 96.2%
- KwaZulu-Natal: Umkhanyakude 93.63%
- Western Cape: Overberg - 92.36%
- KwaZulu-Natal: Pinetown 92.2%
- Gauteng: Tshwane North - 92.03%
National Matric Pass Rate 2025
This leaves the national Matric pass rate at 88%. This is a 0.7 percentage point increase - but was enough for this cohort of Matrics to now hold the record for the top achieving Matrics in South Africa's history.
The Minister went on to congratulate the staff who work in all areas of the schooling sector.
"To every Premier, every MEC, every Head of Department, every district director, every principal, and every teacher: these outcomes are built day by day, term by term, year by year – and we honour the work behind them. Even as we celebrate progress, we have been honest about the risks ahead."
"Austerity measures, if applied without care, threaten the foundations we are working to strengthen – early learning, learner support and school nutrition. Reform requires patience, planning and sustained investment. Baobabs do not grow in a single season."
"Taken together, these results tell a clear story. The system is more stable. Participation is improving. Inclusion is expanding. Integrity is holding firm. But the results also confirm the central truth of our reform agenda: without strong foundations in the early years, inequity will always return later. The new course we have set for the basic education system is defined by deep roots, strong foundations and long vision."
