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Two sentenced for leaking a 2020 matric exam paper
The Star
|July 25, 2025
TWO people were found guilty of leaking the 2020 matric mathematics exam paper.
Themba Daniel Shikwambana, a 36-year-old, and Thobile Sweetbetter Duze 48-year-old, appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on July 23.
They pleaded guilty to stealing a matric exam question paper and were sentenced accordingly.
Gauteng Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo said that on November 16 2020, the Department of Basic Education received a tip-off about a possible leak of the matric Mathematics exam paper, which had allegedly been circulated via WhatsApp.
“The department was alerted via a WhatsApp photograph, which was later verified and confirmed to be a true copy of the 2020 Mathematics Paper 2 exam paper.”
He stated that the initial investigation revealed that several learners in Limpopo and Gauteng had admitted to receiving the leaked exam paper via WhatsApp.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team at their Pretoria headquarters for a comprehensive investigation.
This story is from the July 25, 2025 edition of The Star.
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