Eastern Cape

Our History The University of Fort Hare (UFH) holds a profound place in the chronicles of African history and education, with its rich history and heritage embodying significant cultural, political, and educational narratives. The institution’s legacy extends beyond its physical boundaries, becoming a beacon of hope, resilience, and intellectual advancement in Africa. UFH as a physical site of colonial contestation, the incubation space for various liberation movements, and its contemporary position as a lodestar for academic excellence reflect a broader struggle and victory over injustice. It stands as a testament to the power of education as a tool for empowerment and societal change. The history and heritage of the University of Fort Hare are not only essential to understanding the past but are integral to shaping the future. A legacy of pioneering education, fostering leadership, and promoting cultural and intellectual growth underscores UFH’s continuing importance in the broader narrative of Africa’s journey towards equity, development, and renewal.

The mission of the Eastern Cape Department of Public Works and Infrastructure is to be a custodian of provincial government immovable assets and a provider of sustainable infrastructure, resulting in socio-economic reforms, sector transformation, and development. The Department's strategic goals are to promote sound corporate governance by providing continuous sound leadership in strategic and operational planning as well as monitoring and evaluation of the Department; improve management systems in order to offer efficient and effective services to client departments and the public by monitoring the annual audit plans and continually improving management systems, policies and procedures; lead transformation and development in the construction and property industries by ensuring that a percentage of departmental expenditure on infrastructure is procured through broad-based black economic empowerment; reduce poverty and unemployment by creating sustainable job opportunities; and ensure effective management of immovable and movable provincial assets by ensuring full implementation of the Government Immovable Asset Management Act (GIAMA).

The mission of the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform is to strive to create vibrant, equitable, sustainable rural communities and food security for all. The Department's strategic goals are: coherent and coordinated rural development for improved quality of life; and good governance and clean administration.

The Eastern Cape Department of Social Development is faced with the inescapable reality that the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalised groups of the Eastern Cape continue to exert pressure and demand for the provision of comprehensive and quality development of social welfare services. Its mandate is aligned with the Social Protection Chapter of the NDP Vision 2030, which is aimed at ensuring protection against vulnerability by creating and enabling an environment for the provision of comprehensive, integrated and sustainable social development services. Social protection is recognised as a basic right in terms of Section 27(1)(c) of the Constitution, Act 108 of 1996, which provides for the right of access to appropriate social assistance to those unable to support themselves and their dependants. Section 28 (1) enshrines the right of children with regards to appropriate care, basic nutrition, shelter, health care services and social services. The core functions and responsibilities of the Department are to provide developmental social welfare services to individuals, families, groups and communities through the following social protection measures: protection - measures are introduced to save lives and reduce levels of deprivation; prevention - acting as an economic stabiliser, helping people avoid falling into deeper poverty and reduce vulnerability to natural disasters, crop failure, accidents and illness; promotion - aiming to enhance the capabilities of individuals, communities and institutions to participate in all spheres of activity; transformation - tackling inequalities and vulnerabilities through changes in policies, laws, budgetary allocations and redistributive measures; and development and generation - increasing consumption patterns of the poor, promoting local economic development and enabling poor people access to economic and social opportunities.

The mission of the Eastern Cape Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture is to develop and promote sport, recreation, arts and culture for spiritual, intellectual, physical and material upliftment of the people of the Eastern Cape. The Department's strategic goals are: effective service delivery through leadership, good governance, accountability and efficient resource utilisation; development, promotion and transformation of arts, culture, museums, heritage, and language services in order to contribute to sustainable economic growth and opportunities, nation-building, good governance, and social and human capital development; provision of a free, equitable and accessible library and information service, and proper management and preservation of public and non-public records; and improvement of quality of life through sport and recreation.

The mission of the Eastern Cape Department of Transport is to provide, facilitate, develop, regulate and enhance a safe, affordable and reliable multimodal transport system that is integrated with land uses to ensure optimal mobility of people and goods in support of socio-economic growth and development. The Department's strategic goals are to promote good governance and transportation excellence by providing enabling business processes for the core functions of the Department of Roads and Transport in relation to management, corporate and financial services; maximise mobility and accessibility through public transport by planning, regulating and facilitating the provision of public transport services and infrastructure, through own provincial resources and through cooperation with national and local authorities, as well as the private sector, in order to enhance the mobility of all communities, particularly those currently without or with limited access; integrate traffic management in order to enable and ensure that all road users consciously use the roads in a lawful and safe manner; create economic empowerment opportunities in the transportation sector and alleviate poverty by ensuring delivery of accessible services through integrated, socially just, developmental and empowering processes in order to improve the quality of life of communities by way of community development programmes.

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

Amazwi South African Museum of Literature was formerly known as the National English Literary Museum. South Africa's literary corpus constitutes an invaluable national treasure, encompassing a rich cultural legacy that spans centuries and boasts a diverse array of voices and literary forms. Beyond preservation and conservation, Amazwi is dedicated to interpreting and promoting this remarkable collection through a range of engaging initiatives, including exhibitions, educational programs, outreach activities, and public events. These endeavours cultivate a vibrant culture of literacy, creative expression, and storytelling, catering to diverse audiences and purposes - from educational enrichment to entertainment, public discourse, and scholarly inquiry. It is Amazwi's esteemed privilege to serve as the guardian and champion of this precious cultural heritage.

The Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, MBTC, was declared as a Schedule 3A public entity on 26 May 2021, and gazetted on 04 June 2021. The call for the new Council was issued in October 2021. The entity became operational as a declared institution on 1 April 2022 with the new Council appointed on 02 June 2022. The MBTC succeeds the previous Board of the Port Elizabeth Opera House NPC, which oversaw the longest running theatre in Africa since 1892.

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)

Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)