The Gauteng Education MEC decided this after Umalusi reduced the marks in eight subjects in which learners performed better than normal.
The provincial Department of Education honoured the top performers in the Matric Class of 2020 for having achieved outstanding results despite the disruptions caused by the current pandemic.
Noelle Van Der Walt received the award for 1st Place for Geography in Gauteng and 3rd Place in South Africa.
Blessing Mlambo received 3rd Place for Best Performing Learner in C Programs and was chosen as Best Performing Learner at Township Schools.
These matriculants have stated that although 2020 was not easy, there was no excuse for not trying their best.
Mlambo said that even though there was a lot of uncertainty about when schools were going to reopen, he stayed motivated and worked hard to achieve good results.
One of the top achievers even had to study in the dark since their electricity was cut, however, she continued to study hard and obtain great results.
Lesufi announced that Umalusi acted unfairly, as they reduced the marks of eight subjects, towards matriculants who worked hard during tough times.
The MEC believed that Umalusi "reduced their marks purely because they passed too much", which should never have been allowed as those learners worked hard for their marks.
