Weeks after the death of Cope founder Mosiuoa Lekota, his party is still embroiled in the leadership battles that have seen it lose support since it was founded in 2008.
On Thursday evening, the party’s Central National Committee (CNC) decided to cancel the party’s elective congress at the last minute. This meeting of all provinces was expected to take place this weekend.
According to a leaked recording of the meeting, the party’s interim leaders have cancelled the congress to allow provinces to hold their own congresses.
The Citizen understands that this move has been frowned upon by some members of the party who believe holding a democratic congress would bring back some legitimacy to the party after decades of leadership battles.
Leaders accused of putting personal interests before Cope
One of these members, Jabu Tamme, has written an open letter to all Cope members, accusing the interim leaders of putting their personal interests before the party’s.
“The current leadership ‘trio’ has transitioned from caretakers to tyrants, overextending their limited interim role to suppress democratic participation.
“Cadres who challenge their authority have had membership applications rejected and their constitutional rights silenced.
“By cancelling previous congresses and planning the current one without funding schedules or verified voters’ rolls, they have frustrated every legitimate mechanism for constitutional change,” said Tamme.
He also demanded the resignation of the interim leadership.
“We no longer recognise your authority and will not comply with any further instructions from the CNC as currently constituted. Vacate with immediate effect. This is your final opportunity to leave office before the situation escalates beyond your control,” he said.
Tamme indicated that the disgruntled members are considering going to court to force the party to hold an elective congress.
“If you choose to remain stubborn, be advised that we are prepared to move toward more vigorous enforcement through the full force of the law to ensure your removal,” he said.
Lack of clarity concerning the congress
Earlier this week, Cope interim secretary-general Erick Mohlapamaswi told The Citizen that the congress would go ahead this weekend, even though there is no indication that a venue has been announced and there are no plans to transport delegates from all provinces.
However, he indicated that the CNC was doing an assessment for readiness for congress and would make a determination.
“The Congress National Committee (CNC), which is the highest decision-making authority, will meet in the coming days to receive final reports from provinces and make the determination,” he said.
Cope membership
It is still not clear what the membership figures for Cope are but in a media statement on 16 April, Mohlapamaswi said the party had received interest from people who wanted to join the party after Lekota’s death.
“We have been inundated with an increasing number of South Africans joining and rejoining Cope. Many, inspired by powerful tributes and eulogies from across society, have come to recognise that Lekota provided the right leadership at a critical time and that the formation of Cope was a necessary and correct intervention in the progression of our democratic order,” he said.
The Citizen has sent questions to Mohlapamaswi relating to the cancellation of the congress and the frustration of some of their members, but no response was received at the time of publishing.
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