Chief Executive Office Introduction

The Office of the CEO provides strategic support to the Board of Directors ,ECATU operations and the organization as a whole.  This office is part of program 3 of the  ECATU structure as the key office that holds accountability for the Corporate Services Function. This Office consists of the Company Secretariat, Public Relations, and Internal Operations.

The Company Secretariat

The Secretariat ensures that quarterly Board meetings, meetings of the Finance and Remuneration, Research and Innovations and Audit Committee take place in an efficient and orderly manner. Detailed documentation is prepared and circulated in advance of meetings to facilitate informed discussion and decision-making.

The Company Secretary also compiles and disseminates strategic business documents and minutes, follow up on decisions, and acts as secretary to the quarterly meetings of the B.O.D. This component is also tasked with advise on the legal affairs of the institution.

Public Relations

The Communications strategy has been adopted by the Board of Directors and Implementation of  the strategy is constantly  under way.

A new corporate image was launched in April 2008. An internal perception survey conducted indicated positive levels of acceptance of the new logo and brand. A quarterly newsletter that documents the goings on of ECATU is being generated every end of quarter. The newsletter is the means that we communicate the work that we do to our strategic partners and stakeholders as well as communities in general.

The ECATU website has been launched and in the pipeline is the focus towards the 25 years of existence and institutional memory the organisation.

Internal Operations

The Operations Function is responsible for facilitating issues of strategic compliance. The operations section serves as the backbone of the CEO’s office. This is the component responsible for managing the institutions operations and reporting them to the CEO. ECATU has equipped this office with the functionality of ensuring corporate governance, reporting, monitoring and evaluation.

Ms Zanele Silo
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +27 47 532 4601 …..
Fax: +27 47 532 4385………..
Email: siloz@ecatu.org.za


Message From The CEO

ECATU in its current winds of positive change has taken tremendous strides towards strengthening its research and innovation capacities, strategically focusing its programmes within the developmental framework of Provincial Government and aligning its focus to increasingly respond to the socio-economic diversity of the Eastern Cape Province.

Having been born in 1983, as a regional institution under Section 3 Transkei Corporations Act with the name: The Transkei Appropriate Technology Unit (TATU), the unit has evolved and diversified its focus that was limited to the former Transkei to its current focus of facilitating research, influencing policy development on appropriate technologies for rural development and poverty alleviation challenges of the entire Eastern Cape Province. These continue to be our focus areas: agriculture, water and sanitation, basic infrastructure and energy.

The name has now changed from TATU to ECATU, indicative that the organisation covers the Eastern Cape Province. The process of the ECATU Bill will necessitate that the organisation be strategically placed to serve the rural and poor communities of the entire spread of this Province.  Having been involved in rural development since 1983, ECATU is strategically placed to ensure its visibility and impacts are felt across the province, building on its past experiences.  ECATU’s expansion will also operationalise its’ mandate for innovative technologies for rural development and poverty alleviation in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape

In line with the key objectives of ECATU, which include inter-alia to:

  1. Plan, finance and carry out projects in relation to appropriate technology in all the development fields in the Province, namely:
    1. provide appropriate technologies to support rural development;
    2. provide technical advice, where necessary to government departments on innovation to support policy development and decision making;
    3. Undertake research and development on existing and proposed technologies in the public and private sectors;
    4. Promote sustainable development techniques and methodologies;
  2. Contribute towards the eradication of poverty and its causes by supporting organisations involved in appropriate technology research, development and implementation in order to –
    1. Carry out projects or programmes aimed at meeting development needs of poor communities in the province;
    2. Strengthening the institutional capacity of other civil society organisations involved in direct service provision to poor communities in the province and;
  3. Promote dialogue and sharing of development experience between civil society organisations and relevant organs of state in the province.

ECATU seeks to continuously assess its own progress by employing the benchmarks and indicators of progress provided by the recent PGDP review process as well as those provided by the Provincial monitoring and evaluation framework. Alignment of key projects with the Provincial High Impact Priority projects and 2nd Economy projects is evident through the contributions of the ECATU soil cement brick production to the Expanded Public Works Programme(EPWP). In line with EPWP priniciples, communities produced the bricks used in construction of the Mbashe arts and crafts village built along the N2, between Mthatha and East London, onsite.

Project Highlights

To create sustainable livelihoods in reasonably large numbers, it is necessary to introduce innovative technologies to increase productivity, and create partnerships with innovative institutions to achieve the widespread dissemination of environment friendly processes and technologies.  
A data base technologies that links technologies to the needs of the poor communities has been developed and technologies have been documented.
Customisation of the ECATU brick has enabled external commercial partners to adopt these technologies and promote them in a commercial environment.

The Research and Development Program, is now positioning itself as one of the leading sources of information on issues of sustainable development and innovative technology. ECATU has established a Knowledge Management Resource Centre which will be the Think Tank for the entire Province.  The centre will seek to promote collaborative planning and integrative research between different stakeholders and parallel efforts in the community.

Project Highlights for 2007/08 Include:

  • The commissioning of the partnership programme for the school based water and sanitation programme in lower Ntlaza, JSS, Nyandeni LM on 16 August 2007.  This project seeks to strengthen capacity in rural onsite water, sanitation and health sector through the provision of sanitation facilities and water biofilter purification systems.  
  • The establishment of the ECATU organic pilot site to demonstrate alternative technologies in organic farming.  
  • The Elliotdale BNG rural housing programe a partnership project between ADM, DoH and ECATU was launched by the MEC housing and the Premier of the EC on the 25 January 2008.  Using the ECATU brick to build 10 show houses, the project seeks to demonstrate the alternative technologies to housing using community labour and resources.
  • The finalization of the consultation process for the ECATU bill with all stakeholders.  The ECATU bill once enacted will define a clear mandate for ECATU to operate in the whole province.
  • Strategic partnerships were established with various local municipalities and government departments and private sector entities so as to enhance our research and delivery capacity.

Outreach

A new coporate image has been launched and inroads have been made towards vigourous imaging and marketing of the new brand. The new corporate image was unveiled on the 15 April 2008.

The Business Development Program Unit endeavors to act as a communication channel between the various actors in development. It produces quarterly newsletters with which ECATU shares its experiences with others. The unit also interacts and interfaces with stakeholders to facilitate placement of ECATU and its image on the frontline of the public arena, which helps subject the organisations’ work to the review and input of peers, potential funders and external stakeholders.