The Congress Of The People (Cope) in KwaZulu-Natal said it was concerned about mud-slinging in the party ahead of its elective
conference.
“We are very concerned about what is happening now. Cope in KwaZulu-Natal is not going to get involved in the mud-slinging,” said the party’s provincial chairperson Lucky Gabela during a provincial policy conference on Saturday.
Cope head of policy Smuts Ngonyama was also in attendance.
The race for top positions is gaining momentum as the party approaches its first elective conference.
It was recently reported that party president Mosiuoa Lekota appeared to be losing his grip on power because more provinces allegedly backed his deputy Mbazima Shilowa.
The conference will take place at the end of May.
The Mail and Guardian reported that the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, the North West, as well as the party’s youth division, had expressed support for Shilowa.
Gabela said making pronouncements on preferred candidates was unnecessary and that even the credentials of delegates to the conference had yet to be finalised.
Ngonyama also addressed the conference, saying fighting for positions in the party needed to stop.
“We have to elect leaders who are willing to serve our people and not people who want to serve their egos. We must not get it wrong this time around, because we made many sacrifices when we formed this organisation,” he said.
It emerged during the conference that Cope in KwaZulu-Natal was struggling to form its branches.
The party has 56 audited branches in the whole province.
Gabela said he believed the slow pace of branch formation was due to intimidation from members of the African National Congress.
“I am undoubtedly aware that some among you are worried that the pace of establishing branches is very slow. I fully agree with you, but we need to know that this is not of our making,” said Gabela. – Sapa