The Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court sentenced Themba Daniel Shikwambana (36) and Thobile Sweetbetter Duze (48) on 23 July 2025 for stealing a 2020 matric maths exam paper.
The court fined the pair R100 000 or twelve months’ imprisonment, with R50 000 or six months of the sentence suspended for five years on condition that they do not commit a similar offence.
They are required to pay the remaining R50 000 in monthly instalments of R5 000 by April 2026.
Additionally, they received a three-year imprisonment sentence wholly suspended for five years.
Leak Traced to Printing Company Employee
The leak was first reported on 16 November 2020 when the Department of Basic Education (DBE) received a WhatsApp photograph of the 2020 Mathematics Paper 2 exam paper.
The image was verified as an authentic copy of the exam.
A preliminary investigation revealed that some learners in Limpopo and Gauteng had received the leaked paper via WhatsApp.
The DBE reported the incident to the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit, which launched a probe.
Arrests and Investigations
Police arrested Shikwambana on 25 November 2020 in Orange Farm, Gauteng, where he worked at a Johannesburg printing company that printed exam papers.
Further investigations led to the arrest of Duze on 10 June 2021 in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
Both appeared in court multiple times before their conviction.
How can South Africa strengthen exam security to prevent future leaks of matric question papers?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
