The two suspects who were alleged to have leaked the National Senior Certificate question paper in December 2020, have been arrested after making an appearance at the Johannesburg magistrates court recently.
It has been reported that (Accused 1) Themba Shikwambane (32) and (Accused 2) Thokozile Duze (44) have been charged with theft.
The theft charges relate to the leaked Maths P2 question papers distributed in provinces. The department’s Chief Director of national assessments and public examinations, Rufus Poliah had revealed that the question paper was leaked in eight of the nine provinces.
In an announcement, Department of Basic Education (DBE) spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga, has also confirmed:
The Hawks have worked hard to complete the investigation and the matter is now going on trial on 5 December 2022.
This comes after the accused are both on bail and have appeared in court at various times while the investigation was still underway.
The Education Department has applauded the Hawks for a good job which helps in terms of understanding how the system was undermined so the gap can be closed while prosecuting offenders.
According to the Hawks, Shikwambana worked for a Johannesburg-based company that was contracted by the Education Department to print exam papers for the class of 2020.
The National Investigations Task Team (NITT) team made recommendations such as withholding results of learners while further investigations took place, or issuing the results while investigations take place.
At the beginning of this year, Umalusi had also shared that these malpractices do not reflect well on their examination system and the education system in general.
