Senior Congress of the People (Cope) leaders aligned to its president, Mosiuoa Lekota, this week took advantage of a boycott of the congress working committee (CWC) by those aligned with his deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, to develop a plan to strengthen Lekota’s hold on the party.
They also used the meeting to map out a campaign for Lekota to be elected Cope president at the party’s congress in September.
A meeting of Cope leaders supporting Lekota was also told of a resignation letter by Cope parliamentary leader Mvume Dandala, which was apparently being held back by general secretary Charlotte Lobe, a Shilowa supporter. She convened Monday’s CWC meeting, but staged a boycott with other Shilowa backers, opening the way for the Lekota faction to develop an action plan.
A document recording the decisions taken was leaked to the Mail & Guardian.
Attending the meeting were Lekota, treasurer Hilda Ndude, Smuts Ngonyama, Lyndall Shope-Mafole, Deidre Carter and spokesperson Philip Dexter. Shilowa’s supporters claim the meeting was unofficial because it lacked a quorum.
A CWC member aligned to Lekota said that Dandala had sent a resignation letter to Lobe and to Ndude, which Lobe had not yet tabled. “Shilowa’s supporters don’t want to bring it up formally because of the parliamentary list. If Dandala goes, Terror would become parliamentary leader, and they don’t want him to go to Parliament,” the CWC member said.
The meeting appointed various task teams, with coordinators who are all Lekota-aligned. The plan places Lekota at the centre of the revival campaign, with various meetings planned with “like-minded MPs and MPLs”. Lekota will also be tasked with “meeting and briefing influential people in society”.