When matric learners were about to sit for their morning Afrikaans National Senior Certificate final examination papers on 2 December 2022, the exam was interrupted due to an alleged bomb threat.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has confirmed that the two schools that were under threat were Boksburg High School and School of Achievement, south of Johannesburg.
According to the department’s spokesperson, Steve Mabona, these threats have been circulating on a number of social media platforms prior to the exam date.
The department’s Minister Matome Chiloane said the emergence of this security threat is of great concern especially as it has affected the matric exams.
In an interview, Mabona said:
Learners had to be evacuated from the exam centres by the police and returned to continue with their exam approximately two hours later.
As these threats were quite serious, the South African Police Service acted swiftly in response to affected Boksburg schools. Chiloane has thanked law enforcement agencies for prioritising the safety of the school community.
A report detailing that the incident and the circumstances that led to this has been submitted. The Education Department is then expected to make a call regarding this matter.
As the matric final exam period nears its end, the Education Department has also received reports of at least 15 incidents ranging from cases of learners being shot at, stabbed, exam paper shortages, missing exams due to protest action, and even going into labour, proving that this was one difficult time for matric learners and their teachers.
