BREAKING: Zimbabwean Grade 12 pupils who were displaced from South Africa amid anti-migrant tensions are being brought back to the country to prepare for and...
Zimbabwean Grade 12 pupils who were displaced from South Africa amid anti-migrant tensions are being brought back to the country to prepare for and write their 2026 matric examinations, with arrangements made to accommodate affected learners at a boarding facility in Johannesburg.
The intervention is being coordinated by the Zimbabwe Exemption Permit Coordinating Committee (ZEPCC), which has called on affected Grade 12 learners to come forward so that arrangements can be made for them to return to South Africa. The move comes as learners face the final stage of their secondary education after disruptions to their schooling.
According to information released by the ZEPCC, affected pupils include those who are outside South Africa after returning to Zimbabwe, as well as learners who remained in South Africa but failed to register for their matric examinations. The committee has also appealed to pupils who deregistered from schools, missed the June examinations or rewrites, or faced intimidation and bullying to contact the ZEPCC Academy.
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The committee said the learners would be taken to South Africa before the end of this week and accommodated at a boarding facility in Johannesburg. The facility is intended to give the pupils a place to stay while they prepare for their 2026 National Senior Certificate examinations.
The development follows a period of disruption affecting Zimbabwean families living in South Africa. Reports indicate that thousands of Zimbabwean children left South Africa with their parents during the unrest, interrupting their education during the school year. GroundUp reported in July that the repatriation process had disrupted the schooling of children of immigrants, including Grade 12 learners preparing for their final examinations.
The situation has been particularly difficult for Grade 12 pupils because many have followed South Africa’s Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) throughout their schooling. The Citizen reported that switching to Zimbabwe’s education system in the middle of the year would present difficulties for learners who had been preparing under the South African curriculum.
The disruption also affected examination registration. The ZEPCC said it had received reports of learners who were unable to register for matric examinations, withdrew from school or could not complete examination requirements after being displaced. TimesLIVE reported that the committee had engaged with 120 matric pupils who had not registered for their examinations because of alleged xenophobia and bullying at schools.
The ZEPCC said it had engaged with education authorities over the registration of affected learners. TimesLIVE reported that the organisation had made arrangements with the Department of Education to register pupils who had been affected. The committee is also providing accommodation and revision support for learners preparing for the examinations.
The return of the pupils is aimed at giving them an opportunity to complete their final examinations within the education system in which they have been studying. The Citizen reported that many of the affected Grade 12 learners had spent their school careers following the South African curriculum, making the return to Zimbabwe during the academic year particularly difficult.
The education disruption followed anti-migrant protests and tensions that led many Zimbabwean families to leave South Africa. Daily Maverick reported in July that thousands of Zimbabwean children had been withdrawn from South African schools, with the situation causing particular concern for the 2026 matric class because some learners had already registered for their final National Senior Certificate examinations.
The ZEPCC has therefore urged affected Grade 12 pupils to contact its academy so that their individual circumstances can be assessed and arrangements made for their return and examination preparations. The appeal includes learners who are currently outside South Africa as well as those who remain in the country but have been affected by registration problems, intimidation or bullying.
The number of learners who will ultimately use the Johannesburg facility has not been clearly established. The Citizen reported that it was also not immediately clear how many pupils would travel from Zimbabwe, how many were already back in South Africa, or who would meet all the costs associated with the intervention.
The latest intervention comes as South Africa’s Class of 2026 approaches its final examination period. The country’s Department of Basic Education identifies Grade 12 as the final phase of schooling and provides examination resources for learners preparing for the National Senior Certificate examinations.
For the affected Zimbabwean pupils, the immediate focus is now on returning to South Africa, completing their preparation and ensuring that they are able to sit their 2026 matric examinations. The ZEPCC’s intervention is intended to provide accommodation and revision support while addressing the examination registration challenges faced by displaced learners.
The return of the Grade 12 pupils highlights the education difficulties faced by families who were displaced from South Africa during the recent anti-migrant unrest. With the matric examinations approaching, the support programme is seeking to prevent affected learners from losing the opportunity to complete the South African secondary school qualification they have been preparing for.
