Election activities must not disrupt matriculants: Gwarube

Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube expressed satisfaction with the National Senior Certificate examinations' progress. Despite no major irregularities or disruptions nationwide, she raised concerns about political activities and protests preceding the Local Government Elections on November 4th. Gwarube urged communities and political parties to ensure their activities did not disrupt the over 800,000 matric candidates writing their final exams.

"We were slightly concerned about some unrest that was happening in the North West," she stated. "And again, once again, I think we want to just plead with our communities that please can we ensure that all political activity, in this high-pressure environment of political campaigning, all civil unrest, that we try and protect this class so that they can be able to go and write so that they can start to unlock a future for themselves."

Meanwhile, learners at the Anton Lembede Academy in La Mercy, Durban, were optimistic about their matric finals. On Thursday, they sat for their Accounting Paper 1 exam. While some felt nervous, others were confident. The students attributed their success to thorough preparation and revision sessions with their teachers. Gwarube visited the school to monitor the exam administration, confirming no major incidents had been reported across the country. KwaZulu-Natal, with over 200,000 candidates, accounted for the largest group of matric learners.

For many learners, the Mathematics Paper 1 exam the following Friday loomed large. They aimed to achieve the highest marks, believing that setting high goals led to success. One student expressed her aspiration to pass with distinctions and pursue a medical career.