By Lebone Rodah Mosima and Charmaine Ndlela
In a nation where the end of high school exams should signal triumph and hope, a troubling ritual of unsupervised “pens down” parties is instead unleashing chaos, claiming lives and shattering families.
As the class of 2025 wraps up its National Senior Certificate exams, educators and parents are sounding alarms over preventable tragedies tied to underage drinking and violence, demanding stricter laws and parental supervision to curb the cycle of violence and death.
At Gem-Meg Academy School in Johannesburg, educators have called on the government to raise the legal alcohol purchasing age from 18 to 21, and to make ID checks mandatory for every alcohol sale.
Anything less leaves underage teenagers exposed to the potentially deadly pens down party culture, the teachers told Inside Education.
Their call comes as the class of 2025 finishes final examinations and the notorious celebrations ramp up across the country.
In previous years, some pen-down parties have ended in tragedy, the most devastating example being the 2022 Enyobeni Tavern disaster in East London for mid-year celebrations, where 21 teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, died.
The incident raised questions about the safety of the celebrations, the accountability of adults who enable them, and the overall culture surrounding underage drinking in the country.
Tavern owners Siyakhangela and Vuyokazi Ndevu were convicted for selling alcohol to minors on the night of the tragedy, but how exactly the deaths occurred is still the subject of investigation.
Educators told Inside Education that businesses and community members who enable underage drinking must be held accountable. One educator, speaking on condition of anonymity, said adults should be guiding students, not “leading these children astray”.
The Enyobeni tragedy is only one of many devastating events linked to pens down celebrations.
In July 2025, two pupils died and seven were injured when an alleged gang “gate crashed” a pens down party near East London.
In 2024, Ntombi Mandulo lost her son Sifiso during a pens down party. “Matric pens down ate my son,” she said.
Following the death of Sifiso, the community of Buhle Park launched a “manhunt” for one of his killers, who was subsequently assaulted and later died from his injuries.
In December 2023, three Northern KZN matric pupils died in a car crash after attending a pens down party.
In 2023, five learners from Dinwiddie High School in Germiston, Ekurhuleni, died in a pens down–related accident.
Parents and educators agree that such tragedies are preventable — but only if strict controls are put in place.
Some educators – speaking to Inside Education on condition of anonymity, unless stated otherwise in this article — said that the “secrecy” and “rebellious nature” around pens down parties make them attractive to teenagers.
Schools should host their own, supervised year-end events to ensure learner safety, they said.
“So, if organising something that celebrates the children, it should be child friendly — no alcohol allowed — and at certain times, say maybe 6 o’clock, we are wrap-up, it’s done,” said one teacher.
The teacher said community involvement in celebrations – coupled with awareness programmes — is crucial to preventing harm. But, the teacher added, “corruption” and a lack of parental control remain obstacles.
“I don’t think the pens down celebrations will end anytime soon, because there is someone within the community gaining something from these events hosted by these learners. I don’t know how we can navigate the whole thing.”
Another educator said: “We can’t even be in control of that because even parents themselves, they can’t even control these kids. We are talking about teenagers here, everything is new to them.”
Principal of the academy, Busani Ndlovu, said the root cause of risky celebration culture begins at home. He said teachers are often unfairly blamed for incidents that occur outside school premises.
The school has introduced a men-to-men mentorship programme aimed at “grooming boys into responsible young men who can uphold positive values,” he said.
This was one way in which the school could encourage pupils to “follow the customs of their forefathers,” said Ndlovu.
A teacher from Stembridge Dishon School told Inside Education that schools should organise official pens down alternatives.
“I think we need to plan the pens down for them and not allow the students to go out and plan it on their own, because planning it on their own comes with a lot of hazards.
“As parents, we need to enhance strict measures on our children,” he said, adding that that included curfews.
“As much as [the pupils] are done with high school, they are not done with their lives,” he said.
The education experts raised concerns about substance abuse, referring to South Africa as a “free country” where people do as they please under insufficiently strict rules. They said parents and schools must actively guide matriculants about the risks of pens down parties, and remind them that rules matter.
Parents expressed overwhelming fear about unsupervised Pens Down parties: One mother told Inside Education: “No parties till you leave my house… most of these pens down parties are unsupervised… a girl was once rape by three boys in my community [at a pens down party],” she claimed.
Said another parent: “My son is in grade 12, class of 2025. I hate Pens down.”
Other parents spoke about fatalities from previous years, including car crashes and violent incidents.
Former matriculants also shared their experiences, with one writing: “I remember going straight home [after my exams] and went to bed. I needed to rest after sleepless nights.”
Minister of Basic Education (DBE) Siviwe Gwarube, has urged matriculants across South Africa to not attend pens down parties.
Gwarube said the unsupervised celebrations do sometimes spiral into dangerous situations that lead to “alcohol abuse, violence, vandalism, sexual assault, property damage, and even a risk to lives”.
“The safety of learners remains a shared responsibility,” she said.
She called on parents and guardians to maintain open dialogue with their children, and ensure they knew the whereabouts of their children.
She urged teachers, principals and School Safety Committees to lead by example, to monitor rumoured gatherings and also alert the police, when necessary.
“Let us together ensure that the end of exams is not the beginning of regret,” she said.
“Let it be a time of hope, of responsible celebrations marked by the dignity you have earned, whilst you await the announcement of the national results on 12 January and the Provincial announcement on 13 January 2026.”
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Education, Sipho Hlomuka, has issued a stern warning to all matriculants to act responsibly when celebrating the end of their examinations.
“While we commend our learners for completing this critical chapter of their academic journey, we cannot condone activities that place them and others at risk.
“Pens down parties often end in tragedy, with fatal crashes and incidents that bring lifelong sadness instead of joy. We urge our young people to celebrate responsibly and to prioritise their safety and the wellbeing of their communities,” said Hlomuka.
KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has told matriculants to prioritise their futures and exercise caution around pens down parties, warning that celebrations too often end in violence and loss of life.
He said police would keep a close watch on gatherings linked to the festivities.
“Police will be in full force and we will make sure we do not negotiate with law breakers.”
The Gauteng Education Department (GED) has also warned against pens down parties
“We are discouraging the pens down parties which might end in eventualities (casualties). We have been saying to candidates, you can celebrate, but responsibly. No alcohol, no parties that would end up with casualties. So far we are quite happy,” said GED spokesperson, Steve Mabona.
In late November, the Eastern Cape Department of Education hosted an ‘anti-pens down’ event in Nelson Mandela Bay, focusing on substance abuse, gender-based violence and gangsterism. Mayor Babalwa Lobise urged learners to stay safe during the festive season, while Tat’u Majola of the Khula Foundation said parents must take responsibility for their children.
In 2024, the Eastern Cape Liquor Board urged learners to shun underage drinking and pens down parties after reports and posters circulated with invitations to attend a pool party, where a bottle of gin or whisky was required for entry.
In Mpumalanga, several schools have taken a stand against the parties.
Lekete Secondary School in Arthurseat village, Acornhoek, has joined several institutions across the province to publicly oppose pens down celebrations. The schools have opposed the parties because of fatal accidents, sexually transmitted infections, teenage pregnancies, and sexual assaults that have occurred in the past.
Educators in the province say teenagers are exposed to danger because some unsavoury characters, and criminals, attend the parties in search of victims. They gave examples of gang rape after drinks were spiked.
One teacher said that the matriculants spent an entire year studying, often attending extra classes on weekends, only to have their lives destroyed at pens down parties.
Lekete Secondary and other schools have also condemned another tradition – the tearing up of uniforms after final grade 12 exams.
Instead, they urge pupils to donate the uniforms to those in need or return them to the school on their last day. Parents, the schools say, must speak openly with their children and firmly discourage attendance at the parties and the destruction of uniforms.
Learner representative president at Skhila Secondary School, Minisi Thandiwe, encouraged her peers to reject pens down parties and to donate their uniforms. “Donations can go a long way.”
Thandiwe’s call was made after Mpumalanga Education MEC Lindi Masina called on provinces to unite and “firmly reject” the celebrations.
“As the 2025 National Senior Certificate Examinations draw to an end, the Department of Education wishes to state that it strongly condemns ‘pens down parties’. These are not official school activities; they are unsafe and have no place in our efforts to protect and nurture the future of our young children,” she said.
Despite the repeated warnings, posters for 2025 pens down parties are already circulating on social media.
INSIDE EDUCATION
