Africa-Press – South-Africa. Infighting, division, and suspension remain issues of concern within COPE as members continue to call for party leader Mosiuoa Lekota to step down.
This after a final decision by the congress national committee (CNC) to expel deputy president Willie Madisha and secretary for elections Mzwandile Hleko on Sunday following their decision to ignore the suspensions dished out to them by the party last year.
Hleko, however, said he would engage with the party’s structures on Monday evening, adding “friends” of Lekota determined the decisions to have them removed.
Speaking on Monday, Hleko added they were only notified of this unexpected decision late in the evening and had “rounded up leaders of the party now to say we need to have a Zoom meeting urgently so that we are able to tell South Africans a way forward as a party”.
He said the unconstitutional meeting consisted of provincial leaders whose mandate ended in 2019 and who sought to bring about instability within the party.
The fired elections secretary added Lekota was clinging to power, although this was his final term to lead the party.
“Mr Lekota was working with us establishing structures, and immediately when he saw he was not going to be elected, he started to turn because he thought we would go and amend the constitution and say he must continue to lead the party.
“The problem is the president does not want to democratise the party. He wants to be there forever and is not helping South Africans.
“He is not going to Parliament, he is not doing all of his responsibilities, but he is getting money from Parliament doing nothing. When you start to raise those things and want to come and account, he gets angry, and you are an enemy,” said Hleko.
However, COPE’s acting general secretary, Eric Mohlapamaswi, dismissed these claims, stating the involved individuals had more than a year to make amends and abide by their suspensions.
“This has been a long process. You will remember that last year there had been suspensions, and they were suspended, but unfortunately, they were so big-headed to the extent that they ignored their suspensions. They continued doing whatever they did.”
He added:
Responding to claims Lekota’s friends made the decision, Mohlapamaswi said: “I don’t know why they say friends, but if their definition of friends is common thinking, then it means it’s that.
“Because the people who were meeting value and respect the constitution of the Congress of the People and know what’s contained in the constitution.”
The party has a record of constantly suspending its members, including City of Johannesburg speaker Colleen Makhubele, secretary for communications Dennis Bloem, and many others.
Last August, Bloem and his faction within the party wanted Lekota to vacate his position as party leader and be suspended, resulting in a public dispute.
During this period, Madisha, Bloem, and Hleko accused Lekota of allegedly citing internal divisions resulting in his precautionary suspension, which he countered, and calling for him to step down due to his unfitness to lead.
Despite this, Mohlapamaswi said: “The president can only take two terms and nothing more than two terms. We can’t change or amend the constitution to suit Lekota – the president is even now prepared to make sure he gives way.
“He is too old and admits himself that he has run his race. He needs to give his baton to someone else. So, the president is prepared.
“Those are just hallucinations that people are trying to put. They are trying to implant that into people that the president is resisting. No, the president is not resisting.”
News24 reached out to Madisha for comment, but he did not respond to text or answer calls.
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