These are the 2024 Rhodes Scholarship recipients headed for Oxford next year
Meet the impressive graduates who have been named among the 11 recipients of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship for 2025 in the Southern African cohort.
These seven brilliant individuals emerged successful after a rigorous and highly competitive selection process.
They will join over a hundred scholars from around the world, to jet off to the University of Oxford in England, in October 2025, where they will pursue fully funded postgraduate studies.
The selection process includes an extensive application review, followed by multiple interviews at regional and national levels.
“Interviews were thorough, probing and rigorous, and selectors deliberated for many hours before awarding the Rhodes Scholarships for 2025,” shared National Secretary for Southern Africa Ndumiso Luthuli.
As Rhodes scholars, they will also become part of an esteemed international network of changemakers dedicated to creating a better world and becoming future leaders.
Get to know the exceptional Rhodes scholars-elect for 2025.
Dr Tshegofatso Masenya (26)
Masenya has an MBChB and is currently pursuing a postgraduate diploma in health economics, at UCT.
Currently a medical intern at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and founder of GoShare crowdfunding platform, she also leads a health education series under the Golden Key International Honour Society, promoting health literacy among young adults.
Oxford Plans: Research in health systems and policy to advance universal health coverage.
Niamh Ahern (22)
Ahern has a BA in Music, Psychology, and Afrikaans (with distinction), currently completing a BA Honours in Afrikaans at UCT.
She currently works as an editorial assistant at New Contrast, is an active student leader serving as managing editor of Varsity Newspaper, social sciences director of the African Research Society, chairperson of the UCT Student Psychiatry Society, technical officer of the UCT Cortex Club, and Student Parliament representative for the Students with Disabilities' Forum.
Oxford Plans: MPhil in Global and Area Studies with the aim to develop research that influences public library policy, special collections practice and African archival integrity.
Dr Christian Cotchobos (27)
Cotchobos has an MBChB with first-class honours and a BSc Honours in Infectious Diseases and Immunology.
Currently a junior doctor at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, he is also completing a Master's thesis with UCT's Global Surgery Division.
Oxford Plans: MSc in Musculoskeletal Sciences.
Dr Inae Kim (26)
Kim obtained a MBChB and BMedSci (Hons) with first-class honours from UCT.
She is currently a junior doctor and is involved in research projects within the hepatobiliary surgery unit at Groote Schuur Hospital.
Oxford Plans: Research in liver diseases and global health.
Jacob Lund (22)
Lund holds a BSc in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics and is currently completing BSc Honours in Mathematics at UCT.
He is the co-creator and moderator of isiXhosa.click, a free online open-source dictionary.
At Oxford, Jacob hopes to pursue an MSc in mathematical sciences, followed by a DPhil in mathematics with the intent of exploring the nexus of pure and applied maths.
Phemelo Matie (22)
Matie is a final year LLB student at UCT where she completed a BA in Law and isiXhosa Communication (with distinction).
She is an Allan Gray Orbis Foundation candidate fellow, who co-founded Legal Standpoint, an award winning legal tech start-up aimed at increasing access to legal education in South Africa.
At Oxford, she aims to pursue an MSc in Sustainability, Enterprise, and the Environment.
Jeremy Simpson (24)
Simpson has a BCom (Hons) in Economics and a BSc in Economics and Mathematics from UCT.
He is currently working as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group.
His Oxford plans include studies in economics and energy systems with a focus on the Just Energy Transition.
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