Just a year after the dawn of our democracy, the Eastern Cape leadership under then premier Raymond Mhlaba took a visionary step: they established the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council — known to many as ECSECC.
Much like Nedlac at the national level, ECSECC was created to build consensus among key partners — government, business, labour, civil society, and academia on how best to grow our province together.
Established in 1995 during the transition from apartheid to democracy, ECSECC was formed at a time of great uncertainty.
Our new democratic government was tasked with integrating the two former Bantustans of the Eastern Cape and the republic government structures, each with its own history and developmental agenda, into a single, unified provincial administration.
Over the past 30 years, ECSECC has served as the glue holding together our most important stakeholders.
It has enabled collaborative planning, supported inclusive policy implementation, and helped guide the socioeconomic development of the Eastern Cape.
I can proudly say that ECSECC has fulfilled this mandate with excellence, remaining central to the vision of building the Eastern Cape we all want.
At a time when many institutions struggle to maintain good governance, ECSECC has consistently stood out.
For 12 consecutive years, the institution has achieved clean audits.
This is no small achievement. It reflects the hard work and integrity of ECSECC’s board members and staff, past and present.
This consistent track record positions ECSECC as a model of accountability, both within our province and nationally.
However, ECSECC’s impact goes beyond financial governance. Its behind-the-scenes work has contributed meaningfully to our province’s progress on several fronts.
For instance, between 2019 and 2024, we attracted R217bn in investment to the Eastern Cape.
This success is underpinned by ECSECC’s reliable, insightful data, which continues to guide better planning and future investments.
Establishing the Eastern Cape Regional Observatory, supported by our provincial data centre, universities, and research institutions, marks another step forward in evidence-based development.
Education outcomes have also improved, thanks partly to ECSECC’s work in building the province’s human capital, an essential pillar of the Provincial Development Plan.
Whenever I meet investors, one concern frequently raised is the mismatch between the skills our economy needs and what our institutions of higher learning produce.
Through the Eastern Cape Human Resource Development Council, ECSECC provides a critical platform for aligning our education system with the job market demands.
We are also seeing improvements in health, especially in reducing maternal mortality. Yet HIV/Aids and TB continue to claim lives, especially among our youth.
The Eastern Cape Aids Council, housed within ECSECC, remains a key partner in our fight, spreading the message of prevention, testing and treatment to protect our communities.
ECSECC has also played a vital role in engaging communities in the rollout of significant infrastructure projects.
Its efforts in social facilitation have helped ensure smoother implementation of projects like the Mtentu Bridge and Ndabakazi Interchange, which are transforming our province’s economic landscape.
Looking ahead, I expect ECSECC to play an even more significant role in our province’s development journey.
The newly enacted ECSECC Act formally mandates the institution responsible for long-term planning in the Eastern Cape.
This positions ECSECC at the heart of our research and innovation ecosystem tasked with generating high-quality knowledge to guide sustainable and inclusive development.
Already, ECSECC has produced a range of impactful research outputs, including:
- Quarterly GDP and labour market reports offering detailed analysis of the provincial economy;
- Expanded ward-based information systems with enhanced data profiles to support local planning;
- Rapid evaluations, producing innovative tools and systems to inform government action; and
- Performance monitoring, using the electronic performance quarterly reporting system to assess provincial delivery.
In recent discussions with ECSECC’s board and management, I urged the development of a stronger performance management framework. This includes:
- A yearly scorecard for quarterly government performance reviews;
- Bi-annual reports evaluating whether investments are yielding real impact;
- Audits to measure spending efficiency, especially in education, health, and infrastructure; and
- A citizen feedback mechanism, ensuring responsive and transparent service delivery.
As we celebrate ECSECC’s 30th anniversary, I pay tribute to the foresight of my predecessors, who nurtured this institution into the knowledge hub it is today.
ECSECC has played a central role in advancing the gains we’ve made in 31 years of democracy. Strengthening ECSECC will be key to continuing that progress.
Here’s to many more years of social compacting excellence.
Oscar Mabuyane, Eastern Cape premier
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