By Johnathan Paoli
Limpopo and Mpumalanga welcome the matric triumph of 2024
By Johnathan Paoli
The provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga heartily celebrated their learners during the releases of the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) exam results on Tuesday.
Limpopo education MEC Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya said it was the first time the province had surpassed the 80% threshold since the advent of democracy, earning it sixth place nationally, a leap from seventh last year.
“The class of 2024 made history by pushing boundaries and delivered on their promise,” she said.
Once lagging in performance, Limpopo has now emerged as a “province on the rise”, achieving a historic 85.01% matric pass rate, up from 79.5% in 2023.
The top three districts included Mogalakwena with an 87.8% pass rate, Mopani West with 87.2%, and Vhembe East and Capricorn South tied in third place with 85.8%.
Sekhukhune East was the most improved district, up from 74.7% to 84%.
Setotolwane Secondary from Capricorn South achieved a 100% pass rate with more than half of matriculants achieving Bachelor passes.
Lerule-Ramakhanya attributed this success to the relentless efforts of teachers, principals, parents and stakeholders who united under the shared vision of excellence.
She expressed gratitude to traditional leaders, pastors, government officials and sponsors for their unwavering support. Sponsors were particularly lauded for providing resources like shoes, laptops and bursaries.
While celebrating the achievements of the Class of 2024, Lerule-Ramakhanya emphasised that the work continued.
She said Limpopo had set its sights on achieving a top five national ranking.
In Mpumalanga, education MEC Cathy Dlamini noted that matriculants achieved an 84.99% pass rate, exceeding the province’s target by 1.99% and marking a significant improvement from 2023’s 77%.
“We wish to congratulate the Class of 2024. Your accomplishments are an inspiration to us all. We hope that the Class of 2025 will emulate this best practice. No one must be left behind,” Dlamini said.
Basic Education Deputy Minister Reginah Mhaule attended the provincial announcement, thanking all stakeholders had assisted in maintaining the stability and improvement of the sector.
Of the 64,201 candidates who wrote the NSC exams, 54,567 passed, with 27,885 qualifying for Bachelor programmes and there were 23,310 distinctions.
Districts recorded notable improvements in pass rates, with Ehlanzeni District leading at 88.43%, Gert Dibande at 87.67% and Nkangala at third with 85.24%.
Out of the 17 municipalities in the province, the Steve Tshwete local municipality obtained position one after passing 2449 learners which constitute a 92.9% pass rate.
The top-performing circuit was Msukaligwa, achieving a 95.9% pass rate, with 51 out of 71 circuits performing above 80%.
Among schools, 58 were able to pass all learners who wrote, recording a 100% pass rate, an improvement from the 24 schools in 2023.
A total of 201 performed between the 80% and 99% pass rate bracket compared to 117 of 2023, while 500 schools performed above 70% compared to 417 of 2023.
Hoërskool Nelspruit emerged as the best performing institution, with 100% of its learners passing and collectively achieving 366 distinctions.
The most improved school is Madoda Secondary School in Siyabuswa Circuit at Nkangala District, registering an improvement of 62% and obtaining a 90.9% pass rate this time around.
The province also saw impressive results in Mathematics and Physical Sciences, surpassing targets with pass rates of 66.37% and 73.69%, respectively.
Out of the 481 no-fee schools, 31 obtained 100%, 332 schools obtained results above 80% and 412 schools performed above 70%.
The overall best quintile 1 school in the province is Mkolishi Secondary School at Manzana in the Chief Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, obtaining a 100 % pass rate for two years in succession and passing all 103 learners who sat for the examination.
Efforts to improve inclusivity and quality education were evident, with 481 no-fee schools participating and significant resources allocated to rural and disadvantaged areas.
Key initiatives for 2025 included strengthening technical high schools, coding and robotics programmes, and e-learning systems.
Dlamini emphasised the province’s commitment to achieving a minimum 80% pass rate across all districts, with intensified support for underperforming schools.
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