/ 18 May 2010

Cope congress to go ahead despite infighting

Cope Congress To Go Ahead Despite Infighting

The Congress of the People’s (Cope) inaugural elective congress will go ahead as planned despite threats of boycotts and legal action to stop it, the party’s secretary general, Charlotte Lobe, said on Monday.

The congress national committee (CNC), Cope’s highest decision-making body, “unanimously agreed” that the party was ready to hold the elective conference.

The leadership battle between president Mosiuoa Lekota and his first deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, resulted in provinces threatening to withdraw from the congress and reportedly taking legal action to prevent it from taking place.

The party’s Free State chapter claimed on Monday that less than 50% of the party’s branches in all provinces, barring the Eastern Cape, were accredited to attend. It also wanted a recount of its membership forms.

The Sowetan reported that Cope branches in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Free State, Limpopo and the Northern Cape wanted the congress postponed.

However, Lobe was adamant that all problems were resolved over the weekend.

She said the Free State was represented at the meeting and was party to the decision to proceed with the congress.

Cope would defend itself if any faction chose to take legal action to halt the congress. “We shall overcome any litigation,” Lobe said.

“Democracy has never satisfied each and everyone … Democracy is about the majority.”

She expressed concern about the possibility of delegates boycotting the congress, but said it was their right to choose to stay away.

“Staying away does not mean their concerns would be addressed … but we cannot force people who don’t want to come.”

Mpumalanga was the only province that had requested a postponement at the weekend meeting. Its concerns were dismissed by the CNC.

‘The Shilowa express’
It recently came to light that there was a battle for leadership between former ANC heavyweights Lekota and Shilowa.

Lekota publicly suggested that Shilowa had mismanaged R20-million given to the party by Parliament. He later apologised.

Shilowa, who was nominated unopposed by 600 branches during a provincial general council in the Eastern Cape, has called on delegates to “board the Shilowa express”.

According to an audit of Cope’s membership, it has about 74 600 members nationally, 2 052 of whom would participate in the congress.

Lobe acknowledged that interest in the party had dwindled since its formation at the end of 2008.

At the time, the party claimed it had drawn close to 500 000 people.

Lobe explained this figure was an indication of those intending to join the party, not actual membership.

The audited figures showed that the party had 22 959 members in the Eastern Cape, 14 605 in Limpopo, 9 921 in the Western Cape, 7 379 in the North West, 6 912 in the Northern Cape, 6 067 in the Free State, 5 153 in Gauteng, 1 378 in KwaZulu-Natal and 57 in Mpumalanga.

“I cannot lie to you and say since the formation some people had not lost interest in Cope,” said Lobe.

The congress will be the party’s first elective conference. Its current leadership was elected by consensus at a launch conference in Bloemfontein in 2008.

Cope obtained 30 seats in Parliament in the 2009 general election. — Sapa