#MatricExam leak: Hawks roped in as more provinces affected

South Africa

─── 15:36 Tue, 17 Nov 2020

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Preliminary investigations have revealed that other provinces have also been affected by the leaking of the matric Mathematics Paper 2 question paper, according to the Department of Basic Education.

And now the Hawks are being roped in to assist with the investigation and track the origins as well as how far the leak spread.

Speaking to News24 on Tuesday, department spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga said soon after a statement was released on Monday, which indicated that Gauteng and Limpopo were identified as affected provinces, it was established that other provinces, such as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, might also have had access to the paper.

"The WhatsApp messages [of the question paper] went to candidates in other provinces as well.

"We are going through that now because people are sending us screenshots of conversations in their WhatsApp groups, with people's numbers, people who sent the paper. All of that is going to assist in the investigation," Mhlanga said.

Mhlanga added that the department was chasing time so that the probe could be concluded and a way forward could be established, including whether a rewrite was necessary.

He said the Hawks were contacted on Tuesday to help with resources for the investigation.

"We don't have time. We are trying to finish as quickly as possible.

"We want all of them to know what's going to happen [and] if there is going to be a rewrite."

Mhlanga added some candidates came forward to disclose that they had been in possession of the paper that was disseminated in WhatsApp groups.

Mhlanga said: I received an email with the paper, which means from Sunday night, that's when people had the paper - which [also] means someone was given the paper and was working through it, and probably didn't finish working out the answers and then [the person] started sharing it. And then the next person did not know the answers...

News24 earlier reported that, according to senior education and curriculum lecturer at the University of Johannesburg, Dr Nazreen Dasoo, there was a need for the department to re-evaluate its mechanisms in light of Covid-19.

"Given the extraordinary circumstances we are experiencing as a result of the global pandemic, coupled with an additional burden of stress for our current matric learners, more creative and authentic ways of assessment should have been implemented [instead of an] emphasis on the traditional, standardised matric exam," Dasoo said.

News24