ALL nine pieces of the 2009 Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards are in place and the stage is set for the finals.

ALL nine pieces of the 2009 Anglo American and Sowetan Young Communicators Awards are in place and the stage is set for the finals.

The finals take place in Gauteng on Saturday.

Nine finalists are ready to match their public speaking skills and knowledge and understanding of current affairs at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg.

They are Reatlehile Jankie of Western Cape, Bonolo Cebe of Eastern Cape, Leandre Buys of Limpopo, Thandekile Maseko of Mpumalanga, Ndumiso Hadebe of Gauteng, Tsholofelo Sebolao of North West, Shanice Titus of Northern Cape, Alfesenzo Sethole of Free State and Mnelisi Gasa of KwaZulu-Natal.

This public speaking competition is known as Anglo American's key corporate social investment and responsibility project.

For Sowetan it is a crucial youth-development activity of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation.

Public speaking competitions help unleash the potential of future leaders, especially when they encourage the youth's analytical and critical thinking skills.

Also, the awards seek to nurture assertive, confident, competitive and career-driven youngsters for whom English is not a mother tongue, and to:

l Improve their public speaking skills from the research to presentation phase;

l Develop leadership qualities; and

l Encourage a pioneering, nation-building spirit among contestants.

Protea Hotels are the proud accommodation sponsors in the provinces.