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Members of South Africa's team also claimed claimed top individual medals at the maths olympiad.
Team South Africa at the PAMO 2025. Picture supplied.
South Africa’s team of six pupils impressed at the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) this year.
The event was hosted by the Mathematical Association of Botswana at the University of Botswana.
The South African team claimed top individual medals and the overall first-place.
This year’s competition focused on testing the young minds across six problems. These included algebra, geometry, number theory and combinatorics.
SA bags gold, silver and bronze at maths olympiad
Countries were ranked by the combined scores of their six contestants. South Africa claimed first place, followed by Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire.
Team South Africa excelled with three gold medalists. They were Erik Senekal (Grade 11, Hoërskool Menlopark), James Prins (Grade 12, South African College High School) and Noah Greenblatt (Grade 11, King David High School).
Silver medals were claimed by Olivia Castleden (Grade 9, Somerset College) and Ruth Trimble (Grade 11, Pinelands High School), while WanRu Zhou (Grade 11, Parklands College) took home bonze.
In the Girls’ Division of the Math Olympiad, Ruth Trimble earned gold. Olivia Castleden took silver and WanRu Zhou got bronze.
Prof Seithuthi Moshokoa, Executive Director of the South African Mathematics Foundation, said: “I am very proud of Team South Africa’s achievements. Their dedication, resilience and innovative thinking exemplify our mission to nurture mathematical talent and empower our educators and learners.”
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How it works
The award ceremony on 17 June was opened by Professor Karam Aloui, the Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Tunis EI Manar and Executive Secretary of the PAMO committee.
“Our aim is to challenge creativity and rigorous reasoning in equal measure,” Prof Aloui said.
Wise words from the winning team
Three members of the South African team shared encouraging advice to students who want to take part in the Mathematics Olympiad.
Olivia Castleden: “To people who want to participate in the maths olympiad, I suggest that they just go for it. By just writing the first round, they have already gained valuable experience, even if they don’t progress to the next round.”
Erik Senekal: “Always see an opportunity to learn – approach each problem as a chance to discover something new. Write the math olympiad not just to compete, but also to learn and grow through the process.”
Noah Greenblatt: “Curiosity can be very powerful. I encourage young learners to explore ideas and concepts in which they show interest to the fullest extent. Enjoying this exploration is not only fulfilling but can also strengthen creativity and problem-solving ability. Additionally, there is truly no substitute for hard work when it comes to improvement.”
