MEC SCHAFER CONGRATULATES SIX CAPE TOWN LEARNERS ON THE 59TH INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD (IMO)
It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the South African team that participated in the 59th International Mathematics Olympiad in Romania from 3rd to 14th July 2018.
The learners are:
1. Adri Wessels (Curro Durbanville)
2. Emil van der Walt (Jan van Riebeeck High School)
3. Emile Tredoux (Parklands College)
4. Ralph McDougall (Curro Durbanville)
5. Taariq Mowzer (Fairbairn College)
6. Tim Schlesinger (Rondebosch Boys’ High School)
All six members of the team attend schools in the Western Cape.
My heartiest congratulations go to Emile Tredoux of Parklands College on winning a bronze medal and special congrats to Ralph, Taariq, Tim and Adri who all won Honourable Mentions. Ralph and Taariq missed a Bronze by one point.
The IMO team was selected after a nationwide Mathematical Talent Search conducted by the South African Mathematics Foundation.
A total of 110 countries took part in the competition. South Africa has taken part in the IMO every year since 1992, and in 2014 the event was held in Cape Town – the first IMO in Africa.
South Africa was ranked 62nd, the best of the ten African countries taking part (Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda).
In the International ranking the top ten countries were USA, Russia, China, Ukraine, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Poland, Indonesia.
I am aware that the preparation time needed to take part in a competition such as this is immense. I must therefore congratulate the South African Team, all from Cape Town, on their success in the competition.
Maths is a crucial subject for so many skills needed in the modern economy.
I am thus very pleased that the team has performed so well internationally.
Statement issued by Debbie Schäfer, Western Cape Minister of Education, 18 July 2018
