The Congress of the People’s congress national committee (CNC) met on Saturday in Kempton Park to discuss “key issues”.
“The meeting deliberated on a number of key issues, following the sabotaged national elective congress held in December 2010 and the continued actions of a small faction of the party intent on destroying Cope,” said the party’s spokesperson, Phillip Dexter.
Dexter said in a statement the meeting had resolved nine issues.
Firstly, the upcoming local government elections should be prioritised by party members and that all members should ensure the necessary measures were taken to enable the party to start its election campaign and ensure its success.
The CNC appointed Ndzipho Kalipi as the head of elections and a team to finalise the manifesto and details of the campaign.
At the meeting Juli Killian, Ndzipho Kalipi and Lyndall Shope-Mafole were confirmed as Cope representatives at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
Dexter said the national congress of the party would be reconvened once steps had been taken to stabilise the structures of the party.
This would allow it to “deal with the actions of those members of the party who have actively worked to destroy the party and its credibility and once the financial situation of the party has been stabilised”.
It should be done as soon as soon possible, but would not be before the local government elections, he said.
Confirmation
He said that members of the CNC, elected at the party’s inaugural congress in Bloemfontein, who did not confirm their continued membership of the CNC should no longer hold the positions.
He said these members would be suspended from all activities of the party, pending a disciplinary hearing, to take place within the next 14 working days.
The charges these members would face included “disrupting the sabotaged national congress, impersonating leadership, undermining the CWC [congress working committee], CNC and the constitution of the party, abusing positions of leadership in the party including in the provinces and chapters of the party and other similar activities.”
Mbhazima Shilowa, Mluleki George, Nikiwe Num, Zale Madonsela, Ebrahim Sawant, Archie Ralo, Malusi Booi, Sam Kwelitha, Mbulelo Ncedane, Moegamet Majiet, Sam Kwelitha, Lolo Mashiane, Nozipho Didiza Ndlela and Sipho Ngwema would face these charges.
Other members would be identified in due course and be subjected to a disciplinary process, Dexter said.
In addition, the meeting resolved to recognise the leadership of the Cope Youth Movement elected at the inaugural congress of the youth movement held in Bloemfontein on December 13 2010.
Consolidation
Dexter said congress national committee task teams would be set up to strengthen the interim steering committee of the party’s women’s movement and to establish or consolidate structures in all provinces.
These would be set up in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape, where provincial congresses were held which did not meet the requirements of the party’s constitution.
“These task teams will take over the running of the party until properly constituted congresses are held.”
The leadership received a mandate to deal with a number of administrative issues relating to the representation of the party in Parliament and the legislatures, the signatories of the party at the banks and the IEC.
“These actions are to ensure that no individuals impersonating a leader of the party may engage in activities that would be detrimental to the party.”
The actions were also taken to ensure that the party’s leadership in the Free State did not take action against any member of the party or the provincial legislature or any legal action in general.
The CNC also resolved that individuals who continued to run up debts in the name of the party, without the power to do so would all be “personally held liable for these debts”. – Sapa