Cosatu in Mpumalanga on Monday blamed private schools run by "greedy capitalists" for the leaking of matric exams papers in the province.

"It is mostly the private schools that encourages this tendency because they are run by greedy capitalist who have no interest of the province and its legacy but are driven by profit accumulation and the tendency to get rich quickly (all sic)," the union federation's provincial secretary Fidel Mlombo said in a statement, after its provincial executive committee met over the weekend.

"The PEC noted that... these schools encourages corruption, indiscipline and lack of patriotism from our students and officials (sic)."

The province managed to release its matric results at the same time as the rest of the country this year, despite reports that papers were leaked, an echo of similar irregularities in 2008 that saw officials sacked.

'Lasting solution' sought

Six pupils arrested last month were released on a warning during a recent court appearance. They would appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate's Court again on February 24.

Cosatu said it had since held talks with the education department to try and find a lasting solution to the problem.

It intended to convene a meeting with the provincial education MEC to discuss closing "corrupt" private schools and fix structural inequalities and overcrowding.