South African students shine in international and national mathematics competitions

South African students have proven their mathematical mettle on both the international and national stage, earning accolades at the prestigious International Mathematics Competition (IMC) in Bulgaria and the Standard Bank South African Tertiary Mathematics Olympiad (SATMO).

The IMC, held from 28 July to 3 August 2025 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, brought together 434 of the world’s brightest undergraduate students, tackling complex problems in algebra, analysis, geometry, and combinatorics.

Organised by University College London and hosted by the American University in Bulgaria, the contest is regarded as one of the world’s toughest undergraduate mathematics competitions.

Representing South Africa under the banner of the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF), Kerry Porrill of Stellenbosch University distinguished herself with a second prize, ranking 109th overall. Angus Clark (University of Pretoria) and Benjamin Kleyn (Stellenbosch University) each secured honourable mentions, ranking 274th and 289th respectively, while Muhammad Khan (University of the Witwatersrand) earned a certificate, placing 372nd.

The top three students worldwide were named as Maksim Turevskii (Saint-Petersburg State University), Lukasz Orski (Jagiellonian University), and Huu Phan (Nanyang Technological University).

Back home, hundreds of students put their skills to the test in SATMO on 16 August 2025.

The Olympiad, SAMF’s annual national competition for undergraduate students, drew 456 participants from 21 universities. Known for prioritising ingenuity over rote subject knowledge, the two-hour paper challenged students with 20 short-answer questions spanning calculus, linear algebra, combinatorics, and graph theory.

The top honours went to Noah Jacobsen, a first-year student at the University of Cape Town, alongside Stellenbosch University’s Aidan Conradie (2nd year) and Benjamin Kleyn (3rd year). Jaedon Naidu from the University of KwaZulu-Natal was crowned the best honours student, while Stellenbosch University once again claimed the title of best performing institution – its fifth consecutive win.

Professor Seithuti Moshokoa, Executive Director of the SAMF, praised the students for their achievements:

“We are incredibly proud of these young mathematicians. Many of them have been part of mathematics competitions since Grade 4, and their success shows how important it is to build a love for mathematics from the foundation phase. Their hard work and determination inspire the next generation to see mathematics not just as a subject, but as a tool for solving real-world problems.”

tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za

Weekend Argus