Len van Heerden, News24 User
What fascinates me about the critics of Cope is their shear disregard for facts. Cope has yet to be launched as an official party, even though registered with the IEC. To therefore compare it to parties that have been in existence for yonks is premature and unfair.
Only Jacob Zuma supporters seem to suggest that Cope cannot make mistakes and has to somehow occupy a space no other political party anywhere in the world can ever occupy i.e. do not wrong and be everything to everyone including its staunch critics.
The main criticism of Cope is their lack of policy that defines it. This is fair criticism, but this party was born out of frustration by the Zumafication of the ANC and hence one cannot expect their policies to differ significantly from the ANC before the Malemalization of the ANC.
Bongani Mageba claims they have been told from "extreme heights that Cope will bring about change in our body politic" but unfortunately he fails to mention who has been telling them this and what is the context of such claims. Then he predicts that we will see nor experience any change, which is odd considering that there has been a significant number of ANC members who have left the ANC.
Worries
The ANC has delayed naming its list, worried about defection by those who do not make the list. Jacob Zuma has been forced to campaign vigorously and ANC supporters have made every effort to block or disrupt Cope meetings. The ANC has been forced to keep Malema quiet with his dangerous rhetoric. If that is not change, I am not sure what Bongani would see as change.
Bongani then claims that Cope has begun to insult their opponents in the most extreme manner that "even Julius Malema has hitherto not been accused of" and cite an example when Anele Mda of Cope alleged that Zuma was a rapist. Calling Jacob Zuma a rapist is indeed mischievous as Zuma was not found guilty of rape, though he was accused of that offence. For this, Cope has apologised unreservedly.
On the other hand, Malema says he will kill for Zuma. I suppose threatening to kill someone is less serious than calling someone who had sex with a woman who is HIV positive, is a friend of the family when you are a married man with several wives, and claiming that a shower would prevent HIV infection.
I also find it odd that Jacob Zuma and some ANC parakeets have called Cope members or those they disagree with snake, cockroaches that need to be stamped over or squashed. Perhaps Bongani's moral campus has been calibrated by the Zuma Church.
Then Bongani goes back to his vagueness which characterised the first three paragraphs and calls Cope members diehard separatists, but provides no explanation of what that means and what makes Cope members such. We are supposed to accept his characterisations.
Differences
The fundamental policy difference between Cope and the ANC is that the ANC seems to believe that Zuma should be allowed to stay out of jail, not because he is innocent, but because he is the president of the ANC. That is a fundamental difference based on our Constitution. The ANC insists that Zuma should not be charged (not because he is innocent) but because some people have it for him.If he feels he is being accused incorrectly, he can sue those that have lied about his cutting a deal with Shabir Shaik.
Lekota and Co could have so easily done a Jeff Radebe and be a turncoat who has very little understanding of political debate and maturity and merely insult opponents. They could have simply aligned themselves to Zuma when the tide turned and helped crown Zuma the King of South Africa.
If you look in the Zuma NEC, it is made up of individuals who had an axe to grind with the previous president of the ANC. That is indeed the very same way Cope was formed i.e. individuals opposed to the leadership of someone they vehemently disagree with.
I would expect rhetoric like that of Bongani Mageba will sell in places where people follow like sheep, but I suspect from the reaction that perhaps he chose the wrong forum to nail his colours on the Zuma mast.
I am not against Cope being criticised for lack of decisiveness in their actions, delay in policy creation and some premature claims. Afterall, we are a democracy and criticism should be part and parcel of that democracy. However, rabid and uninformed criticism waste a lot of space and polute forums that should educate and inform.
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