EXHIBIT 31 (a)
                                 CERTIFICATION

I, Dwight V. Neese, certify that:

1.  I have reviewed this Form 10-Q of Provident Community Bancshares, Inc.;

2.  Based on my knowledge,  this report does not contain any untrue statement of
    a  material  fact or omit to state a  material  fact  necessary  to make the
    statements made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements
    were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

     1.   Based on my knowledge,  the financial statements,  and other financial
          information  included in this report,  fairly  present in all material
          respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
          of the  registrant  as of,  and for,  the  periods  presented  in this
          report;

     2.   The registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I are responsible for
          establishing  and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as
          defined  in  Exchange  Act  Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  for the
          registrant and have:

         (a) Designed such disclosure  controls and  procedures,  or caused such
             disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
             supervision,  to ensure that material  information  relating to the
             registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known
             to us by others  within  those  entities,  particularly  during the
             period in which this report is being prepared;

         (b) Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls
             and procedures and presented in this report our  conclusions  about
             the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures,  as of
             the  end of the  period  covered  by  this  report  based  on  such
             evaluation; and

         (c) Disclosed  in this report any change in the  registrant's  internal
             control  over  financial   reporting   that  occurred   during  the
             registrant's  most recent fiscal quarter (the  registrant's  fourth
             fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially
             affected,  or  is  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the
             registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

     3.   The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed,  based
          on our most recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
          reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the
          registrant's  board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent
          functions):

          (a)  All  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial  reporting
               which are reasonably  likely to adversely affect the registrant's
               ability  to  record,  process,  summarize  and  report  financial
               information; and




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          (b)  Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant  role in the  registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting.


         Date: May 9, 2006       /s/ Dwight V. Neese
               -----------       -----------------------------------------------
                                 Dwight V. Neese
                                 President and Chief Executive Officer