A matric pupil has taken Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga to court over her decision not to publish matric results in newspapers and online platforms.

Anle Spies, who sat for her examinations in Pretoria last year, filed urgent papers in the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) calling for it to rescind Motshekga’s decision. The results are due to be published on Thursday and the urgent application is expected to be heard tomorrow.

The Sunday Independent reports that she is supported in her application by AfriForum and Maroela Media.

The application was filed on Friday, a few days after Motshekga announced the department would not be publishing the results to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

In her affidavit, Spies, who now lives with her mother in Gqeberha, said it was critically important for her to receive her results as quickly as possible after they become known since she has only a few days to prepare for the commencement of her university career at the University of the Free State.

‘I can just imagine that a huge number of more than one million matriculants who wrote the matric exams last year are in a similar position ... in that they moved or relocated to addresses far away from the schools that they attended when they sat for matric exams,’ Spies said.

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Beeld reports that the applicants describe the decision as ‘irrational’.

They argue that Popia has been in effect since 1 July 2020 and that this did not prevent the government from publishing results after that.

The applicants argue that the information does not constitute ‘personal information’, as identified in the Act because the exam numbers of learners cannot identify them.

By Friday afternoon, the Department of Basic Education could not indicate whether the application would be opposed.

First Beeld report (subscription needed)