Afriforum vs Information Regulator: The matric results controversy

The ongoing debacle between Afriforum and the Information Regulator (IR) about the publication of matric results in newspapers is unresolved even though the matric results were published this week.

The stalemate position on the public release of the matriculant marks brought to the fore concerns of the POPIA Act and the stance against the principles of accountability and transparency which is much needed in South Africa considering the continual lack of it which has contributed to high frequency of corruption and bribery which has been recently unveiled.

More importantly, the always anticipated mark release clearly gives South Africans an indication of the educational development of our youth, the trajectory and an understanding of where the educational gaps are at present.

This perspective is based on the fact that the schooling systems in South Africa remains skewed and unequal.

Learners enrolled at government-funded schools in South Africa still experience class overcrowding, a lack of resources, and the employment of teachers who lack experience and in some cases, appropriate qualifications.

Research and statistics have always indicated that learners at schools that are graded quintile 4 and above perform better in the final grade 12 results which ensure entry into tertiary educational institutions.

Statistics have also indicated that students in semi-private and private schools fare better in the Science and Mathematics subjects at school, which enables them to secure careers that are far more income-enriching than learners who do not have good grades in pure mathematics and the sciences.

Despite this, the closure of a 12 year schooling career is one of hope and transition for many of our youth.

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial NSC results will be announced jointly by the Honourable Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Thami Ntuli, and the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, Mr Sipho Hlomuka, on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC).

Other provinces such as The Western Cape have not as yet announced the release details but also will be sharing results on the 13th of January 2026.

Initially it was agreed upon that the marks be published with only exam numbers excluding the names of the learners to protect the privacy of these learners.

Last year the court ruled in favour of this approach and Department of Basic Education published the results.

This act resulted in the Department being fined a 5 Million Rand administrative fine from The IR (Information Regulator).

The Information Regulator (IR) of South Africa is an independent body that manages data protection and privacy under the POPIA Act and the  PAIA Act (Promotion of Access to Information Act).

This process ensures that public and private bodies manages personal information lawfully, investigating complaints and is transparent and accountable in their approach to South African citizenry.

They are also responsible for educating the public, and imposing penalties for non-compliance, acting as South Africa's key authority for data privacy and information rights.

The concern has been that it only requires one knowing another’s examination number to verify their results, but this can be a great help for those that have limited access to information technology and the internet.

In these instances, trusted individuals of the learners families can indicate the results to them from the newspaper prints. Despite the protection of privacy, the widespread publication of these results also contribute towards building a collective culture of transparency and accountability.

An opportunity for the results to be easily accessible considering many of our learners come from impoverished backgrounds and have a challenge accessing digital platforms outside of the school environments.

The newspaper print of the results have traditionally been moments of excitement in the past with results been released at midnight. For many families, the anxiety and the pressure of thewait is tedious and stressful and the release of these results in print enabled accessibility timeously.

The print release has also been a widespread information approach which has always sparked debates and discussions around the nature of schooling and potential reforms in South Africa.

The information has ultimately indicated people of the performance of learners within schools within their neighbourhoods and communities.

In addition, information such as the number of learners that attain a university entry matriculant pass also serve as a motivation for those that need to rewrite their exams and improve their overall pass.

In times of dominant culture of a lack of transparency in South Africa, the sharing of information through mass media is an ideal approach to develop a benchmark of transparency of important information in South Africa.

The more informed our citizens become, the closer to a true democracy we are.

DAILY NEWS.