Awards ceremony recognizes top performers

The department hosted its annual Welcoming and Prize-giving function on Wednesday 1 March 2023 to welcome our new intake of postgraduate students and to award prizes to the top performing Economics students in the 2022 academic year. We are very grateful to Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) and Genesis Analytics for also sponsoring prizes. Craig Lemboe, Senior Researcher from the Bureau of Economic Research and alumnus (and prospective PhD student) from the Department of Economics was the guest speaker at the event. He gave a very inspiring talk about his journey as economist and left the audience with some very valuable food for thought.

Zandile Shabangu, Senior Graduate Recruitment Specialist, awarded the following prizes on behalf of Genesis Analytics:

To the Top 5 students for their overall performance in second-year Economics in the 2022 academic year:

5^th place: Kyle Bronn (average mark 78,6%)

4^th place: Tyla Peens (average mark 79%)

3^rd place: Joshua de Jager (average mark 79,8%)

2^nd place: Calvin Marshall (average mark 80,3%)

1^st place: Gabi Crafford (average mark 84%)

To the Top 5 students for their overall performance in third-year Economics in the 2022 academic year:

5^th place: John-Pierre Weideman (average mark 81,3%)

4^th place: Carmen Hutchings (average mark 81,5%)

3^rd place: Jean-Sebastian de Wet (average mark 82,5%)

2^nd place: Lara Pearse (average mark 84%)

1^st place: Sarah Woolard (average mark 89,5%)

To the Top 5 students for their overall performance in the Honours programme in Economics in the 2022 academic year:

Joint 5^th place: Grace Grant and Ronan Morris (final mark 73%)

4^th place: Nthatisi Mota (final mark 75%)

Joint 2^nd place: Chris Solomon and Alistair Pyle (final mark 76%)

1^st place: Wesley Williams (final mark 78%)

Ada Jansen, Chair of the Department of Economics and Dieter von Fintel, professor and postgraduate programme leader in the Department of Economics, awarded prizes on behalf of Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) and the Department of Economics:

To the top two students in first-year Economics in the 2022 academic year:

2^nd place: Benjamin Roelofse (average mark 96,3%)

1^st place: Ulrich le Roux (average mark of 97,5%)

To the top two students in second-year Economics in the 2022 academic year:

2^nd place: Calvin Marshall (average mark 80,3%)

1^st place: Gabi Crafford (average mark 84%)

To the top two students in third-year Economics in the 2022 academic year:

2^nd place: Lara Pearse (average mark 84%)

1^st place: Sarah Woolard (average mark 89,5%)

The SA Cloete medal (for undergraduate students)

(The SA Cloete medal for undergraduate students is awarded annually to the best third-year student. Although performance in the third year carries the largest weight, performance in the first and second year of study is also taken into consideration. The medal is also awarded at postgraduate level.)

The SA Cloete medal for the best third-year student was awarded to Sarah Woolard.

To the top two students in the Honours programme in Economics in the 2022 academic year:

Joint 2^nd place: Alistair Pyle and Chris Solomon (each with a final mark of 76%)

1^st place: Wesley Williams (final mark 78%)

To the top two students in the Master’s programme in Economics in the 2022 academic year:

2^nd place: Andrea Gauna (final mark 82%)

1^st place: Zander Prinsloo (final mark 83%)

The SA Cloete medal (for postgraduate students)

(This medal is awarded annually to the top postgraduate student from the Honours and Master’s class).

The SA Cloete medal for the best postgraduate student was awarded to Zander Prinsloo

The Professor Sampie Terreblanche prize

(This prize is awarded for the best postgraduate research assignment that deals with inequality).

The Professor Sampie Terreblanche prize was awarded to Master’s student Hannes Coetsee for his research assignment titled Inequality between whom? Geography, reference groups and protest incidence in South Africa, for which he achieved a mark of 85%.