Victor Mecoamere

Victor Mecoamere

Anglo American, Sowetan's Nation Building partner, has brought relief to the victims of the recent floods in Soweto.

Through its Anglo American Chairman's Fund, the company has given a R1 million emergency grant to the residents.

Particularly hard hit have been residents of the informal settlement of Braamfischerville, where the South African Red Cross has been supplying blankets and food to 40 households with an average of six persons a household. The Anglo fund contribution comes hot on the heels of Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile's urgent request for "humanitarian aid to start flowing to families left destitute by the floods".

The money will be used to assist the Red Cross to immediately establish soup kitchens and to distribute food parcels, clothing, blankets and mattresses to about 250 families.

Anglo has been backing the Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards (YCA), which is among the company's prominent corporate social investment and responsibility projects and part of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation's youth development programmes. Through the YCA, which is open to public high school pupils in grades 11 and 12, we seek to:

l Help to improve participating pupils' presentation and oral communication skills and their oral English communication among second or third language speakers;

l Encourage participants' proficiency in English;

l Encourage a pioneering spirit among the youth of South Africa;

l Embrace the concept of nation building;

l Encourage youngsters to address key issues facing their communities and the country, and to find solutions to these issues;

l Prepare pupils for the professional working environment; and

l Nurture assertiveness and confidence among the youth of South Africa.

Provincial eliminations of the awards - which are supported by all nine provincial education departments - will be held countrywide until June 6. The finals will be held in Johannesburg on June 20.