Two Witsies are heading to Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship in 2026
- Wits University
Coral Pillay and Kabelo Mbuyisa-Seonyane have been named recipients of the world’s pre-eminent graduate fellowship, aimed at exceptional young people.
The Rhodes Scholarship, celebrated as one of the most distinguished academic awards, allows young leaders to pursue full-time postgraduate study at Oxford University. Recipients of the scholarship are chosen not only for their outstanding scholarly achievements, but for their character, commitment to others and to the common good. Alumni of this prestigious fellowship have gone on to serve at the forefront of education, business, science, medicine, the arts, politics and beyond. These two Witsies are part of a dynamic ten change makers from Southern Africa who will join their peers from across the world at Oxford in October 2026.
A socially grounded astrophysicist
Coral Pillay is currently completing a Master’s degree in Astrophysics and earned her BSc Honours in Physics with distinction. In 2026 Pillay will pursue a PhD in Astrophysics at Oxford. Her research focuses on how galaxies and the supermassive black holes at their centres grow, merge, and shape the cosmos over billions of years.
Pillay is interested in bridging the gap between advanced supercomputer simulations of the universe and observations from modern radio telescopes, including South Africa’s MeerKAT+ and the upcoming Square Kilometre Array (SKA). She has also contributed to international research with the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Consortium, expanding her expertise into the extraordinary realm of gravitational-wave astronomy. During her postgraduate studies, she has received awards to conduct research abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and at the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE) in the Netherlands, where she worked as a summer student in 2024.
In addition, she is an active science communicator and community organiser, passionate about making science more inclusive, socially engaged, and politically responsive. Born in Chatsworth, a suburb in Durban, Pillay believes that science can be a tool for social resistance, expanding opportunity and democratising knowledge for all who seek to better understand our universe.
An educator steeped in development
Kabelo Mbuyisa-Seonyane graduated with a Bachelor of Education in Senior Phase & FET (Cum Laude) with triple majors in Physics, Life Sciences and Geography and an Honours in Education also attained with Distinction. In addition he is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar who completed his Master’s at the Wits School of Education. This scholarship comes just as he commences his second Masters, this time a Master of Science in African Studies at Oxford University as a FirstRand Scholar. He will proceed to PhD studies in International Development under the Rhodes Scholarship in 2026.
Driven by a commitment to African development through education, his research focuses on decoloniality in the science curriculum looking at how indigenous knowledge systems can be used as pluriversal knowledge to improve science education outcomes in South Africa. His current studies examine how the geopolitical competition for resources impacts education and economic development outcomes with the aim of proposing frameworks for targeted fiscal allocations by African states. His PhD will explore how African countries can leverage on the green transition to diversify their economies and ultimately improve lives of ordinary people.
A recipient of several academic and service award, he is the youngest member in Africa of the UNESCO Chair in Teacher Education for diversity and development, and has served in multiple significant leadership roles where he advocates for relational social justice. The 23-year-old from Krugersdorp also works as a Research and Organisational Development consultant for the Club of Rome; and as the Executive Chairman at the Pedagogical Science Institute and Education for Economic Development centralised regulatory Non-Profit Company, which he founded.
The Southern Africa Rhodes Trust has congratulated the 2026 cohort.
“The Rhodes selection process aims to identify young people with proven academic excellence who also show exceptional character and grit, the courage to lead and make a difference in the broader community, the energy to use their talents to the full, and a commitment to solving humanity’s challenges. We believe that Coral and Kabelo personify these core selection criteria” says Ndumiso Luthuli, National Secretary for Rhodes Scholarships for Southern Africa.
Applications for the 2027 Rhodes Scholarships will open in June 2026.
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