The sidelining of Congress of the People (Cope) president Mosiuoa ”Terror” Lekota drove the party’s second deputy president and MP, Lynda Odendaal, out of the party.
Odendaal, who quit Cope this week, told the Mail & Guardian that she had always been unhappy about Mvume Dandala being the presidential candidate and leading Cope in Parliament.
”We had a conference in Bloemfontein that chose Terror as leader — why did we have a different person as a presidential candidate?
”I’m still very disturbed about that decision and I’ve voiced that very strongly in the party.”
On Wednesday Lekota attempted to persuade Odendaal to withdraw her resignation and at least remain a party member.
Like Simon Grindrod, who resigned as Cope’s election head, Odendaal blamed first deputy president Mbhazima Shilowa for failing to protect Lekota when it became clear that efforts to unseat him were gaining momentum.
Dandala was introduced as the face of Cope’s election campaign two months before the election, indicating internal divisions despite denials of a leadership battle. Days before Dandala was introduced, Lekota claimed not to know that he was the presidential candidate.
Odendaal said Dandala was imposed on the party. Only a few leaders, including Shilowa, had supported the idea of having him instead of Lekota.
She said a commission led by Unisa’s Barney Pityana was used to fight internal power battles between Lekota and Shilowa.
”Nobody voted on that process. We were informed of the decision,” she said Shilowa blasted Odendaal and Grindrod for being dishonest with the party.
”I’m very angry. Simon knew a meeting was scheduled to discuss the issues that he raised. Instead of waiting, he goes off,” said Shilowa.
”Lynda was part of arranging this meeting and, three days before, she goes.”
Explaining his silence throughout the negative publicity about Cope in recent months, Shilowa said: ”If you’re in a leadership position, it’s important to distance yourself from squabbles and avoid participating in rumours.”
But he conceded that running the party with interim leadership in all structures ”does create a problem in the sense that everything is always in a flux”.
Shilowa said some interim leaders were using the opportunity to cling to their positions.
Odendaal, a former company executive, made it clear that she joined the party because of her faith in Lekota as ”the right leader for Cope’s vision”.
External detractors of Lekota included business people who had invested in Cope. Shilowa was their link to the party.
A Cope MP said the manner in which Odendaal dealt with her unhappiness with the party showed that she was a ”non-politician” who wanted a way out because she felt she was being sidelined and had no clear responsibilities.
”Politically, she is a very weak person. People are rough in political circles, we debate things in a crude manner. It has been difficult for her,” the MP said.
At the time of her resignation, Odendaal said she was leaving Cope and not politics, implying that she might join another political organisation.
In the interview she said she was still ”taking stock of the political landscape” before making a decision.