Western Cape learners excel in Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad
11 June 2021
Alex Sinclair-Smith, a Grade 11 learner at Westerford High School, delivered a stellar performance in the 28th Pan-African Mathematical Olympiad (PAMO), hosted by Tunisia..
Sinclair-Smith was the second-best out of the 27 female participants, in joint overall sixth place and received a silver medal.
The team of six South African mathematicians took second place in this year’s virtual event. Eleven countries participated in the event which earned South Africa's Yi Lou, a Grade 12 learner at St. Peter's College, a gold medal for taking second place out of the 60 participants. Tyrone Kasi, a Grade 12 learner from St. Stithians Boys' College, also received a gold medal for his joint third place.
The other South African team members were Shelby le Roux (17th, bronze medal), a Grade 11 learner at Rustenburg Girls' High School; Minkyum Kim (25th, bronze medal), a Grade 10 learner at Reddam House Durbanville; and Daniella Kaye (33rd), a Grade 10 learner at Herschel Girls' High School.
"We are incredibly proud of the South African team's performance," said Prof. Kerstin Jordaan, the executive director at the South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF). The SAMF Olympiad programmes for high school learners such as South Africa's participation in the PAMO and the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), as well as the South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) are sponsored by Old Mutual and the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA).
“These results are exceptional, and they reaffirm our commitment to support the work of the South African Mathematics Foundation. Hearty congratulations to the learners, their teachers and team leaders on these great results,’ said Celiwe Ross, Human Capital Director at Old Mutual.
"The COVID-19 pandemic made participation in the host country impossible. But each country's team came together at a central location and participated virtually under close supervision from the host country's leaders," explained Jordaan. She concluded by congratulating the team for their excellent performance and applauds the team leaders, Dylan Nelson and Lauren Denny, for their hard work and dedication to get the team prepared for the competition