South Africa: 23 Limpopo Matrics Await Results Amidst Cheating Probe - South African News Briefs - May 20, 2025 - allAfrica.com
A group of 23 former matric learners from Mashienyane Secondary School in Limpopo are frustrated with the Department of Basic Education for withholding their 2024 matric results, reports SABC News. The department accused the learners of cheating in the economics paper during the 2024 final matric exams. 35 learners were implicated, but only 23 have had their results withheld. The learners were taken through a departmental hearing, but the outcomes have not yet been released. The delay has left the affected students unable to pursue further education or employment, with some experiencing severe emotional distress. The department has yet to respond to the situation.
Informal settlements in the Emfuleni Local Municipality are reeling from the collapse of service delivery, as they mark four months without their portable toilets being cleaned, reports EWN. The sanitation crisis began when the Gauteng government cut funding for the toilet maintenance programme. The municipality has refused to take over the service, citing a lack of funds. In areas like the Ramaphosa informal settlement, residents are forced to use unhygienic, maggot-infested toilets, with some overflowing since February. The Gauteng government has instructed the Emfuleni Local municipality to take over the sanitation programme. The Emfuleni Local Municipality is aware of the situation but says it needs more time to find a solution.
The Northern Cape Department of Health is grappling with a growing number of unclaimed bodies accumulating in State mortuaries, particularly in Kimberley and Hartswater, leading to serious storage challenges, reports SABC News. Provincial Health MEC Maruping Lekwene said that nearly 100 bodies have remained unclaimed in provincial facilities, and some for as long as five months. In August 2024, South Africa's State mortuaries held over 3,000 unclaimed bodies. The department is working with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to expedite investigations and identify the deceased, as the lack of space threatens the ability to accommodate new cases.
