This year, from grade 12, Ashraf Moosa of Scottburgh High School in Kwazulu-Natal took first place with 95%. In second place was Razeen Parker of Rondebosch Boys High in Western Cape with 94%. Third place was a four-way tie between Deelan Vanmari of Westville Boys High School in KwaZulu-Natal, Ahmad Mohamed of Orient Islamic School in KwaZulu-Natal, Nikiwe Dube of Edenglen High School in Gauteng, and Evashen Pillay of Stanger Manor Secondary in Kwazulu-Natal, who all achieved 92%.
The grade 11 category saw a three-way tie for first place between Mohammed Mowzer of Fairbairn College in Western Cape, Kristine Becker of Richards Bay Christian School in Kwazulu-Natal and Timothy Murphy of Rondebosch Boys High in Western Cape, all scoring 91%. Trishane Naidoo of Avonford Secondary School in Kwazulu-Natal took second place with 90%. And there was yet another three-way tie for third place between Justin Knopfmacher of King David High School in Gauteng, Juan de Kock of Rondebosch Boys High in Western Cape, and Jada Freeman of Stirling High in Eastern Cape, with 89%.
Rondebosch Boys High must be commended for placing one pupil from grade 12 and two from grade 11 among the top performers. But the standout of the competition must be Kwazulu-Natal with no less than six pupils taking spots out of the total 13. “I don’t know what their secret is,” said Zobuzwe Ngobese, marketing and business development executive at Saipa, “but with almost half the winners, they’ll be the province to watch in next year’s Olympiad.”
