Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Matric results case: Judgment reserved in Information Regulator’s application for leave to appeal

Soundbite: Alana Bailey (English)

Soundbite: Alana Bailey (Afrikaans)

Judges Letty Molopa-Sethosa, Omphemetse Mooki and Mark Morgan (acting) today reserved judgment regarding the Information Regulator’s (IR) application for leave to appeal against the court’s ruling that allows for the publication of matric results in the media. In December 2025 the judges ruled in favour of AfriForum and other parties that the results may continue being published in future. The IR’s application for leave to appeal took place virtually.

According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, the civil rights organisation hopes that the case can now finally be concluded. Legal action regarding the publication of matric results has been ongoing for more than four years. In 2022, the court ruled in favour of AfriForum and others involved for the first time that the release of the results is in public interest and may therefore continue.

At the end of 2024, the IR tried to prevent the Department of Basic Education (DBE) from publishing the matric results of 2024. However, the IR’s application to obtain an interdict against it failed, after which the case on the merits followed. In December 2025, the full bench of judges confirmed in their judgment that matric results may indeed be published on public platforms. It was further found that the use of examination numbers as the only means of identification offers sufficient protection for the privacy of matriculants and that the DBE acted lawfully in not complying with the IR’s order to withhold the results.

In the application for leave to appeal, the IR questioned, among other things, the court’s jurisdiction to condone the disregard of statutory instructions such as those of the regulator to the DBE. In contrast, the legal teams of AfriForum and the DBE emphasised the court’s jurisdiction and reaffirmed the protection that examination numbers offer learners’ right to privacy.

According to Bailey, the outcome of the case will influence more issues than just the publication of matric results. “Several research fields use the information of individuals who can only be identified by means of numbers or codes. These markers are specifically used to protect their right to privacy and anonymity. The judges’ decision will therefore also determine the future use of data and the continuation of vital research. The outcome of today’s proceedings will contribute to defining the balance between protecting the right to privacy and promoting public interest more clearly.”