ACCUSED PLEADED GUILTY FOR MATHEMATICS LEAKED EXAM QUESTION PAPER
PRETORIA: The accused Themba Daniel Shikwambana (36) and Thobile Sweetbetter Duze (48), appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates court on Wednesday, 23 July 2025 where they pleaded guilty and sentenced for theft of matric question paper.
On 16 November 2020, Department of Basic Education received information about a possible leak of Mathematics matric exam question paper. The department was arleted via a WhatsApp photograph which was later verified and confirmed to be a true copy of the 2020 Mathematics Paper 2 exam paper. Preliminary investigation discovered that some learners in Limpopo and Gauteng confirmed that they received the leaked paper via WhatsApp.
The matter was then reported to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team based in Headquarters Pretoria for further investigation. On 25 November 2020, Shikwambana who was working at a printing company in Johannesburg, where exam papers were printed was traced and arrested in Gauteng, Orange Farm. Further investigation led to the arrest of Duze on 10 June 2021 in KwaZulu-Natal, Port Shepstone. The accused appeared in court on several occasions culminating in their recent conviction.
The court sentenced Shikwambana and Duze to a fine of R100 000 or twelve months imprisonment of which R50 000 or six months imprisonment is suspended for a period of five years on condition that they are not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension. The court ordered them to pay the amount of R50 000 on a monthly installments of R5000 on or before April 2026. The court further sentenced the accused to three years imprisonment wholly suspended for five years on condition that they are not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension.
