Alfred Nzo, the face of poverty in the Eastern Cape, is the top-performing district

The Eastern Cape has hushed its critics, achieving an overall pass rate of 81.42%, with the Alfred Nzo District, known as the face of poverty in the province, snatching the title of top-performing district.

The provincial education department has seen a shift in pupils' performance, as rural districts like Alfred Nzo, Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi, improved their performance, putting an end the domination of the two Eastern Cape metros, Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City, which dominated the provincial matric results achievements over the past few years.

The Alfred Nzo District is split into two educational districts - Alfred Nzo East and Alfred Nzo West.