Nine people, including education department officials, were arrested over the weekend in connection with leaked matric exam papers, Mpumalanga police and education officials said on Monday.

"Following an intense investigation on the leaked examination material that happened before the commencement of the 2009 Grade 12 examinations, the police have made further arrests of nine people on 22 November 2009 one being an official of the department," said provincial education department spokesperson Jasper Zwane.

"The official arrested is a typist within the examination directorate. The department has since suspended the official mentioned above as well as the chief education specialist: question paper and marking with immediate effect," he said.

The education specialist did not face criminal charges, but would be subjected to an internal investigation as he had overall responsibility for receiving and distributing exam papers.

Captain Leonard Hlathi said eight people were arrested on Saturday and another on Sunday.

Among them was a prison warder who owned an internet cafe where the exam material was allegedly downloaded, and an employee of a retail outlet.

During the arrests, police seized a memory stick, computer equipment and three cellphones which had exam papers downloaded onto them.

Last month, teacher Milton Msimango (32) and pupils, Patience Mkhantshwa (22) and Charity Xulu (23) appeared in court in connection with the same investigation. They return to court on 11 January 2010.

Zwane said that when the leak was detected, new papers were brought in.

"The department appreciates the diligence in which the police are working on this case and expects further arrests," he said.