The Western Cape Education Department says the viral Grade 10 “exam paper” is not used in its schools.
The Western Cape Education Department has dismissed as fake a viral image purporting to show a Grade 10 Geography examination paper with questions about xenophobia.
The crumpled page, which began circulating on social media on October 30, 2026, describes a Zimbabwean man fleeing to South Africa before being attacked by a mob.
WCED spokesperson Bronagh Hammond said the document was not an official examination paper and had never been used in the department’s schools.
What the fake paper claims
“This is fake. It is not an exam paper used in our schools,” she said.
The image asks learners to identify the term for hatred towards foreign nationals, explain the difference between a refugee and an illegal immigrant, and suggest ways to reduce violence between South Africans and foreign nationals.
Hammond said the department had not received complaints from parents or schools about the supposed examination paper.
“No, not that I am aware of any complaints,” she said.
She added that national education authorities had alerted the WCED after the image was spotted on Facebook.
“The Department of Basic Education (DBE) warned us after the post was noticed on Facebook,” Hammond said.
The DBE also confirmed that the document was fake.
DBE alerted schools to the image
The latest incident follows other false claims about South Africa’s education system that have prompted warnings from officials.
On October 16, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube condemned false claims that the matric English Paper 3 examination had been leaked.
The Department of Basic Education said the allegations were baseless and intended to disrupt the examination process and prejudice more than 900 000 matric candidates.
Department spokesperson Lukhanyo Vangqa described the spread of the disinformation as irresponsible and said the person behind the poster would be reported to law enforcement for investigation and possible prosecution.
Other education misinformation claims
Gwarube also dismissed the claims as fake news, saying examination security systems remained intact and no irregularities had been reported across the provinces.
The WCED has also been dealing with misinformation targeting job seekers.
On October 22, the department warned the public about fake examination assistant and teaching job adverts circulating online.
The department said the fraudulent advertisements falsely offered employment opportunities within the education sector.
The latest fake examination paper is another example of misleading material circulating online and being presented as official education information.