The Congress of the People in the Western Cape has named Mbhazima Shilowa as its candidate to lead the party.
However the decision, taken at a provincial congress in Cape Town on Sunday, could be overturned if a high court challenge by a dissident faction is successful.
The faction, which backs current Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota to retain the position, on Friday night unsuccessfully sought an interdict to halt the meeting on the grounds that it had been irregularly constituted.
The application would be argued on Thursday instead.
Provincial secretary Mogamat Majiedt said on Sunday that delegates had backed Shilowa for the presidency, Charlotte Lobe for first deputy president, Mluleki George for second deputy, and Mvume Dandala for general secretary.
Majiet said Mbulelo Ncedana, the MPL and former Cape Town city councillor who has been serving as interim provincial chairperson, was elected chairperson, with Ebrahim Sawant as his deputy.
Ncedana said he was “highly confident” that the national congress called by the Shilowa faction of the party would go ahead this coming weekend as planned.
Dismissing reports that several provinces would not attend, he said what was needed for congress was attendance of branches, not regional or provincial leadership.
“Congress is a summit of branches,” he said.
In Limpopo, half the branches had said they would attend.
Mpumalanga, another province that was reportedly planning a boycott, was an embarrassment to Cope. It had only two branches, and 57 members in total.
“So if you would have calculated all the branches that have passed the audit, the majority of those branches will be in the congress, with far more than the two-thirds which is required to constitute the congress,” said Ncedana.
“We have committed ourselves that as this leadership we are going to protect the integrity of the Congress of the People. We are going to reach out to the people of the Western Cape, to all the Congress of the People members, to come and work together.” – Sapa