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Speech by Premier on closing of the Presidential Project Team
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 EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
SPEECH BY PREMIER STOFILE
 ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL CLOSURE OF THE PRSIDENTIAL PROJECT TEAM (PPT) IN UMTATA
ON 11 OCTOBER  2000



INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

It is with a sense of pride and appreciation that I today receive the closing report of the Presidential Project Team (PPT) for the work 
well done and in line with our main agenda for the country that we wish to set for the whole world-eliminating poverty and under 
development.

The attainment of political freedom and democracy in South Africa paved the way for our government together with the people to determine 
their destiny by ensuring progressive improvement of quality of life for millions, especially of communities trapped in poverty and under 
development in the rural areas of our country and our province in particular.

It was also at that time that anti-democratic forces were determined to reverse the gains of our people during the delicate and critical 
transitional period.As was done during the dark days of colonial and apartheid oppression, the Eastern Cape became a target of the 
destabilisation programmes that found fertile ground in the uncertainty and the resistance to the transition.This was compounded by 
continued decline of service delivery, worsening of poverty and de-industrialisation as the artificial sustenance of investments was 
changed.

It is against this background that the PPT was created to focus on the Kei and Wild Coast areas of the Province of the Eastern Cape that 
was threatened by administrative and financial collapse and blockages to development efforts of the government.Although initially targeting 
Umtata, Butterworth, Port St Johns, Cala and Mount Ayliff as priority towns, the PPT work was extended to other areas.

ACHIEVEMENTS

PPT is a testimony that our insistence on the formation of partnerships to deal with the transformation and development challenges of our 
times is absolutely correct, as participation of key stakeholders in governance such as business, labour, non-governmental organisations 
and communities helped ensure the mobilisation of the province behind these noble goals.As outlined by Comrade Thabo Mbeki-then Deputy 
President of South Africa  the PPT was only an interventionist strategy designed to enhance the capacity of statutory bodies to perform 
their functions in an efficient and effective manner.Therefore given the kind of advancement made in building the institutional capacity 
of the provincial government, local governments and statutory bodies, the closure of the PPT is the most logical end of the short-term 
programme. The closure of the PPT is the most logical end of the short  term programme. Like any project it had a beginning and an end 
which were decided in the programme design.

Indeed the PPT has made a significant mark in building the institutional capacity especially at a local government level, developing a 
database for development purposes, facilitating greater integration and co-ordination of work by all spheres of government and the other 
social forces, developing infrastructure and assisting in addressing development policy gaps.

The kind of data gathered over the years on the local government administration and finance, private sector investment, gender and the 
rural  urban migration would continue to provide good bases to benchmarking our development programmes.These include the current plans for 
setting up an integrated and sustainable rural development programme, which is intended for strategic interventions in a manner that would 
turn around the negative development trends in our province.

The lessons learnt over the period are invaluable especially in the light of the current efforts to build strong local government that 
would serve as the real cutting edge of delivery of services and providing a better life for all.

The establishment of farmer support centres, local economic development centres, security of finances for the construction of the fresh 
produce market in Umtata, shearing sheds and dipping tanks, improvement of health and welfare facilities and the establishment of 
facilities to improve leading of evidence by children are some of the highlights that stand out for counting.Another major achievement was 
the establishment of IT linkages between the regions police stations and the central mainframe in Pretoria to help in fighting 
crime.Although the challenges remain huge, these instances are helping in inspiring further development focused on our rural areas.

TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

As highlighted above the introduction of PPT was essentially informed by the limited capacity at the provincial and local spheres of 
government to institute and drive development programmes, arrangements were made to ensure a smooth transition for all intervention 
programmes beyond the December 1999 deadline.

After consultation the responsibility of completing the PPT projects was given to a number of statutory institutions and development 
partners of the government, which would report to the Director General.These included:

* Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) that will deal with all economic development initiatives,
* Eastern Cape Municipal Support Services (ECMSS) that will help managing municipal finances and systems development including revenue 
collection,
* Municipal Monitoring Programme(MMP) that will help manage technical matters,
* Fort Hare University that will help in the management and implementation of education initiatives, and
* Micro Projects Trust that will deal with the construction of two clinics.

These are transitional arrangements that would ensure the integration of these programmes into the general and increasingly improving 
developmental programmes of the provincial and local government as well of the implementing agencies that are statutory bodies.

CONCLUSION

The work done by the PPT, in partnership with all role players from various spheres of government, to business, labour, NGOs and general 
communities, indeed deserve acknowledgement.In fact again the province showcased its potential as has been done in various other areas, and 
our challenge is to ensure the legacy of PPT is sustained and promoted across our society.

REV MA STOFILE
 PREMIER  PROVINCE OF THE EASTERN CAPE

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