THE Department of Education has scrapped five matric examination papers after they were leaked in Mpumalanga this week.

THE Department of Education has scrapped five matric examination papers after they were leaked in Mpumalanga this week.

The papers are mathematics Paper 1 and 2, physical science and accounting.

Though the leak happened at one Mpumalanga school, all schools in the country will be affected.

Education spokesperson Granville Whittle said: "New papers have to be printed and distributed to all schools around the country and it will cost the department millions of rand."

The three culprits who caused all the trouble - two pupils and a teacher - appeared in the Nelspruit magistrate's court yesterday.

Their case was postponed to November 13.

Teacher Milton Msimango was released on R3000 bail, while Patience Mkhatshwa and Charity Xulu, both 22, where released on R1000 bail each.

The scare of more leaked papers in KwaZulu-Natal was found to be false.

"There was no leak in KwaZulu-Natal. They thought that a learner had question papers but they where not exam papers," Whittle said.

The papers, which are expected to be used in the coming exams, were found in the pupils' possession at Trinity Private College in Nelspruit on Wednesday.

Msimango allegedly sold the papers to Xulu and Mkhatshwa for an undisclosed amount.

A pupil, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that after "buying" the papers from Msimango for an undisclosed amount, Xulu and Mkhatshwa failed to contain their excitement.

"Our school is very small and before they knew it the whole matter was an open secret.

Everybody at school, including the teachers, were aware of it," she said.

"The principal alerted officials at head office, who informed the police."

The examinations will commence on October 26.

Whittle added that the arrested pupils in Mpumalanga would face the full might of the law and it would be up to the department in that province to decide whether they are expelled or allowed to sit for the examinations.