Central SA
North West community blocks matric question papers during protest─── LUCKY NKUYANE 13:43 Mon, 30 Oct 2023
The 2023 final matric exams in the North West were met by angry, protesting residents.
It’s alleged that disgruntled residents in a village near the Mahikeng blockaded the roads and this affected the distribution of question papers. A total of 46,395 matric pupils were supposed to write English paper 1 across 448 examination centres on Monday (30/10).
The North West Department of Education spokesperson, Mphata Molokwane, said MEC Viola Motsumi has condemned the blockage of roads by Makgori villagers. The irate community is demanding toilets and decided to close the roads.
Molokwane said the protest affected the distribution of question papers to four secondary schools. The papers were, however, delivered and pupils were able to write their exams following police intervention.
This barbaric act, deliberately setting pupils back, aggrieved the North West MEC for Education Viola Motsumi. https://t.co/qxysCbOMEu
— OFM News (@OFMNuus) August 28, 2023
The blockage of the roads affected the distribution of question papers to the following schools: Ntsidi, Kagiso Barolong, Mothusi Marumula, and Mothibinyana. Motsumi has since made a plea to the police to arrest anyone obstructing the writing of the examination.
"I wish to condemn in the strongest terms the blockage of the roads in Makgori Village. Such acts are intended to frustrate and confuse our Grade 12 learners.
"I am calling for the South African Police Services to arrest anyone who disrupts the writing of exams. We are tired of people who use our learners to achieve their nefarious objectives.”
