The Congress of People (Cope) was ready to contest the elections in 2009, Mbhazima Shilowa, the party’s deputy chairperson, said on Saturday.
”Yes, we will fight an election,” Shilowa told the media at the launch of Cope’s logo and colours in Pretoria.
”As we speak our structures are in place to fight elections wherever they will be,” he said.
He said the logo had been a collaborative effort from a number of suggestions submitted to the party.
The logo is comprised of a circle with a green cross. It also features other colours from the national flag.
”When the African National Congress objects, we have no problem with it because this is part of the process [of the Independent Electoral Commission].
”The process envisages objections,” he said.
”Neither the Freedom Charter or the Congress of the People belongs to any particular organisation … they belong to South Africa as a whole.
”We will go to the elections as the Congress of the People.”
Cope submitted an application to be registered as a political party on Friday.
The ANC has indicated that it will take legal action against the name.
Alliances
Mluleki George — the party’s national organiser and treasurer — said thousands of people had already joined the party and more were expected by its official launch on December 16.
He said the membership in the Free State had reached 64Â 000 while 60Â 000 had joined in the Eastern Cape.
”People are joining and they are joining across the board.”
The cost of membership had yet to be determined.
Shilowa said the party had not entered into any alliances with other political parties. He said however it had been approached and was open to alliances.
”There are no alliances as we speak between ourselves and any other political party. Yes there will be alliances, [but] we don’t have any at the moment,” he said.
‘Lack of tolerance’
Meanwhile, the United Democratic Movement expressed concern on Saturday after Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota’s meeting in Durban was disrupted by ANC president Jacob Zuma’s supporters.
”The lack of tolerance by the ANC structures in KwaZulu-Natal against Lekota should be viewed as a culmination of the warrior talk and promotion of ethnic tendencies which have been spearheaded by Zuma and his tripartite KZN leaders,” UDM president, Bantu Holomisa said.
On Thursday, a meeting scheduled to be addressed by Lekota in Verulam, north of Durban, was disrupted by about 200 ANC supporters.
Most of the supporters — wearing T-shirts with Zuma’s photograph and brandishing Zuma banners — burst into the hall and prevented the meeting from starting.
Lekota did not arrive at the meeting because of security risks.
”What we are witnessing is an escalation of the ethnic project into an ethnic cleansing and perpetuation of a laager mentality,” said Holomisa.
Meanwhile, ANC KZN’s secretary general, Senzo Mchunu, said Lekota should focus on policies and stop aggravating ordinary ANC members by ”urinating” on his party.
”Terror [Lekota] has decided that he is going to urinate on the ANC by rubbishing the ANC as much as he can. If he continues to do so, ordinary members
are going to feel the need to defend the party.
”I’m not saying they should, but this makes it difficult for us to appeal for discipline from the people. There are other parties, such as the IFP and the DA. They criticise the ANC regularly, but they don’t rubbish the ANC,” he said. – Sapa