The votes have been counted, together with the judges' assessments, and 14 candidates are now on the shortlist. Viewers' votes received a one-third weighting in this process.
The 14 are:
Maushami Chetty
Dominic Evans
Chandresan Govender
Nidaa Husain
Busi Mbokazi
Adele May
Amica Miakista
Shabnam Palesa Mohamed
Mishka Moodley
Yusuf Moolla
Abigail Nadar
Deshnie Naidoo
Kalysha Naidoo
Darrius Pillay
All 14 candidates will now embark on a period of internship, allowing them to polish their performances and prove their worth in a practical, working environment. Many of them already hold full-time jobs, so the final phase of the process will take place on a part-time basis, each being given an opportunity to co-present a community-based feature. A member of the Eastern Mosaic presenter team will guide each candidate, joining them on location as their co-presenter and mentor.
The ultimate goal is to establish a pool of talent across South Africa, with the up-and-coming young presenters covering stories in Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and neighbouring regions.
Eastern Mosaic is on SABC 2, every Sunday at 11am.
