Matrics from all nine of South Africa's provinces are on Thursday morning finding out how they fared in last year's finals.

The 2009 grade 12 examination results were released at midnight.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is expected to announce that the matric pass rate has dropped by around two percent and she is also expected to give reasons for the decline.

The controversy around the release of the Mpumalanga results is also likely to come up.

Quality control body Umalusi announced earlier this week that grade 12 students in that province would not get their marks on Thursday but after a string of meetings between the minister and Umalusi officials it was announced that Mpumalanga results would be available in Nelspruit on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, hundreds of matriculants have already started celebrating.

Large crowds gathered in the Johannesburg CBD late on Wednesday night as they waited for newspapers to go on sale.

It was an evening of nerves and anxiety as hundreds waited for the newspaper delivery man at the Library Gardens in the city centre but the wait was soon over after midnight as the youngsters finally managed to get hold of their results.

Matric results and certificates will be available at the different schools on Thursday morning.

At the same time, as some matrics celebrate passing others have been left disappointed by their results.

The SA Depression and Anxiety Group has urged friends and relatives of grade 12 students to support them, no matter how well or badly they did.

The organisation says some teens can become suicidal in the wake of the announcement and has assured those who failed that it is not the end of the world.

The group's Zane Wilson has urged parents not to add to their children's stress.

"Teenagers get stressed because of a lot of pressure by parents. I think we just have to rely on parents to be much more understanding, calm, reassuring and not to put too much pressure on the children," said Wilson.