Warning for matrics in South Africa
As South Africa’s class of 2025 gets ready for their results to be published this week, the Public Servants Association (PSA) has warned matriculants to be wary of ‘bogus’ colleges and education groups.
The union urged all learners, students, and parents to exercise extreme vigilance against the rise of unregistered and illegal higher education institutions in the country.
It said there has been a marked rise in predatory “pop-up” colleges and unverified online institutions that target unsuspecting youth, offering qualifications that are ultimately unrecognised by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
These types of bogus colleges tend to crop up in more remote areas, and particularly in provinces like the Northern Cape.
“The exploitation of aspiring students by these ‘bogus’ colleges is a profound injustice that extends beyond financial loss,” the PSA said.
For many families in South Africa, tertiary education represents a hard-won opportunity for upward mobility; however, enrolling in an unaccredited institution results in a qualification that holds no professional value.
“This not only sabotages the career prospects of our youth but also undermines the strategic integrity of the provincial labour market,” the union said.
The PSA urged all prospective students to perform a comprehensive “status check” before committing any funds or signing enrollment contracts.
It noted that a legitimate institution must be registered with the DHET and have its specific programs accredited by the Council on Higher Education (CHE) or the relevant Quality Council, such as Umalusi.
Matriculants should be cautious of any institutions that operate from temporary premises, those that demand full tuition payments upfront, or those that cannot provide a valid DHET registration number upon request.
“While the PSA calls for heightened oversight and swifter intervention from provincial law enforcement and education authorities, the first line of defence remains an informed and sceptical public,” it said.
Matric results incoming
The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, will announce the 2025 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination results on 12 January 2026.
Candidates are advised to obtain their statements of results from the school/centre where they took the exams.
The results will also be available on the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE’s) website from 06h00 on 13 January 2026.
Some provinces, such as Gauteng, will also provide learners with access to their results through dedicated platforms.
The Gauteng Provincial Government will give matriculants access to their 2025 examination results through the Gauteng Matric Results Online System. Results can be accessed with an exam number.
In addition to official departmental sources, the DBE also confirmed that the results will be released to accredited newspapers for publication on 13 January 2026.
The newspaper results will be presented in the same pseudonymised format used in recent years – namely, examination numbers and results only, with no names, surnames or ID numbers.
This is to protect the privacy rights of matriculants and to align with the country’s privacy laws.
Loading ...