Matric 2025: Record Results, Ongoing Challenges

South Africa’s Class of 2025 has reached a major milestone, achieving a record 88% matric pass rate, the highest in the country’s history. Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube says this was also the largest matric cohort ever, with over 900,000 learners writing the final exams. KwaZulu-Natal topped the provincial rankings with a 90.6% pass rate, followed by the Free State and Gauteng. Phemelo unpacks what these results really mean with Basil Manuel from Naptosa, Sam Beynon from Equal Education, top-performing pupils from Institute Status Acres Combined School, Junior Zandile Nyoni and Nqobile Thakudi, and Deputy Principal Morris Kasirori, the school in Ekurhuleni managed to do well in the 2025 national senior certificate exams despite challenging infrastructure conditions.