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Cope refuses to stop using name

2008-11-20 12:25

Johannesburg - The Congress of the People has refused an ANC demand to stop using its new name, the ANC's attorney said on Thursday.

"We received a refusal today, about 10 minutes ago," said senior patent attorney Chris Job.

Earlier this week, the ANC gave Cope until November 20 to use the name, because it believes it enjoys common law in and to the name.

It was rooted in the 1955 event which led to the adoption of the Freedom Charter, the party believes.

It believes that in many political circles the ANC is referred to as the Congress of the People, points out that and the Nguni translation of the ANC is "khongolese", which means congress, and contends that these factors will cause confusion.

The party has lodged a complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission and wants Cope to hand over any branded material for destruction.

A Cope spokesperson was not immediately available to comment.

Court case postponed

Meanwhile, the ANC's application against the breakaway party's initial choice of the South African National Convention, was postponed indefinitely in the Pretoria High Court.

Job said on both sides affidavits and answering affidavits had not been filed yet. He said the matter may eventually become moot.

ANC spokesperson Jessie Duarte said the party had anticipated the indefinite postponement, but this did not mean the case was off the court record.

The breakaway party was launched by former defence minister and ANC chairperson Terror Mosiuoa Lekota, his deputy Mluleki George and the former premier of Gauteng Mbhazima Shilowa in the aftermath of former president Thabo Mbeki's resignation.

Cope is their third name choice after the South African Democratic Congress was found to belong to a breakaway of an IFP breakaway.

- SAPA

Comments have been closed for this article.

Craig 11/20/2008 12:35:19 PM
"the Nguni translation of the ANC is "khongolese", which means congress," so what? really, the ANC is being pathetic.
Fundiswa 11/20/2008 12:46:16 PM
Why did the ANC not oppose the Congress in PAC and when their biggest threat is borne they all of a sudden have issues? It's obvious what the battle is about here...
C O P E 11/20/2008 12:47:01 PM
No ways, we are not going back with the name and can anyone please tell this ( Mob ) people to mind their business and leave the people's congress alone. Very soon we'll be officially launching our congress and expecting millions of honest and wise South African to be watching very close and thousands to attend............ Suka corruption suka....
C O P E 11/20/2008 12:52:36 PM
It now stands for Africans Not Carring.......look at Zuma,Malema,Ndzimande,Vavi,Mantashe and all other corrupt people and ask yourself where are we going as a nation........
Johan 11/20/2008 12:52:54 PM
The ANC will also object if the new "COPE" party use the name "BIRD" - because one day, very long ago a bird flew through the cell of one of the many ministers cell on Robben Island
Louis 11/20/2008 12:56:49 PM
"...It believes that in many political circles the ANC is referred to as the Congress of the People,..." I believe the ANC has ALWAYS been called er ...well A N C! Sour grapes, screw the anc!
Concern Citizen 11/20/2008 12:56:54 PM
people are stubborn or what?, why can't you wake and smell the coffee look now is November and the election is comming and you are still mumbling around instead of campaigning. COPE for life....
fishy9 11/20/2008 12:57:33 PM
The ANC is missing the point. They did not register the name Congress of the People and therefore no trademark exists. Furthermore this event took place in 1955 and since then more than 25 years has elapsed and therefore they would have lost this trademark because of the time. Now they dont have the right to say it is their trademark.. Fish9
Neels 11/20/2008 12:58:29 PM
Could you please inform us why you use the Cope for this party, and not COPE. All your articles you refer to as ANC, DA, FF but alway write Cope and not COPE.
Jo 11/20/2008 1:00:56 PM
The anc is starting to run sa like a "total communist state".The claim they own everything.look out poeple,we MUST vote this arrogant party out of parliament.This is getting very dangerous indeed!
john webster 11/20/2008 1:05:24 PM
We are a registered Political lobbyist cc which the previous hierarchy of the ANC government were well aware of , as we lobbied them on a number of occasions. They may be a political party but we are also involved in politics and this will cause endless confusion and political problems. Terror lekota and Sam Shilowa may contact me on 0763000077 or even email me as above. .We cannot co exist in the same political environment.Eg We are currently lobbying the ANC and leaving messages from COPE
adrian 11/20/2008 1:05:48 PM
Wtf!!! there is so many breakaways happening,we might end up having 1000 parties.
Blacklisted Hardliner 11/20/2008 1:07:07 PM
Come on ANC, why are you misleading our beloved country? PAC is called Pan Africanist Congress of Azania. Why not objecting to the use of the word Congress by them when splitting with them in 1959? Which alo means Kongolese in ZULU? AZAPO is Azanian People Oganisation. Why not objecting to them when they use the word People? You only have problem when Cope uses Congress + People at the same time? IEC only need to check the similarity btween COPE and ANC. Surely this is a sign of desparatioD
Blacklisted Hardliner 11/20/2008 1:11:06 PM
Does ANC has monopoly over the word People and Congress? PAC,which is also a break away party from ANC also uses the word Congress as in Pan Africanist Congress of Azania. Why did you not fight for that? This si precisely because the leaders of ANC by then when not the same as the current bunch of greedy, selfish and corrupt leaders. Zuma can go and shoot himself on the foot.
lekka 11/20/2008 1:17:23 PM
Looks like if you give the anc a rope they will hang themselves! Well it is more like they go the extra mile to go and find a rope to hang themselves with. LOL!
S2 11/20/2008 1:17:48 PM
Register the trademark "congress of the people" and the demand royalties from the ANC!
chipper chap 11/20/2008 1:17:54 PM
I already admire the COPE parties guts and you can def count on my and my family support! As well as the rest of my fellow Afrikaans, English and numerous black frieds and collegues as we have all since seen that the ANC has been taken over by a MOB with whom only simply dont want to be associate with and def cannot trust to better the lives of all the people of SA!
coping 11/20/2008 1:18:26 PM
Looks like the anc is not COPING! :)
Mandla 11/20/2008 1:20:13 PM
The stupid haters of the ANC are at it again. The ANC is the Cogress of the People and Lekota chose that name deliberately. Where is Lekata going to get members? Of cause he is targeting the ANC because its the party with the majority in terms of membership. He will steal the ANC's name, the policies and the members because is he nothing but a thief.
CTheB 11/20/2008 1:23:01 PM
ANC and COPE (the abbreviations) aren't remotely similar. In spite of what the ANC might believe, Congress (as they're referred to) and Congress of the People are not the same thing. Their chosen logos aren't remotely similar. If anything, the name Congress of the People belongs to the people, not the ANC. If people have been referring to the ANC as the Congress of the People, why have they not been corrected, given that the ANC is the ANC (or African National Congress)?
fulu 11/20/2008 1:24:03 PM
why is congres of people not getting it right when it comes to name..are they all having a limitted minds..please guys just get something...u know..pls if u doin't want anything to do with ANC.pls come up with a name..just say Shikota, or anything.
gareth 11/20/2008 1:24:11 PM
er.... i mean that traiterous Donkey...
Thabo 11/20/2008 1:25:41 PM
Thanks for the free publicity ANC...viva emotional stupidity within the ANC viva...forward with COpe, forward
Dave 11/20/2008 1:26:18 PM
If they did not feel threatened they would not make a fuss about all of this. Clutching at straws is tell you, i like it, i like it a lot!!! ANC can't cope with the new party, their gravy train is coming to a end. I tell you one thing, i think i can COPE with the new party
Kolobe 11/20/2008 1:29:09 PM
Come on ANC.. really now what kind of nonsense is this???Ag man..I cannit belive that people will stoop this low....This poor people have been victimised, intimidated, insulted in every ANC meeting...whne they want to register they are still being chased after...this is really unfair...This now is enough...
Smanga Zulu 11/20/2008 1:29:35 PM
Cope have committed a political suicide. There is no way they can win this court battle. When they lose, they will have to come up with a new name and new everything... and by then... it will be too little too late. As it stands, they will not be allowed to use it owing to the court processes to determine who is the real congress, obviously ... it is the African National Congress...
Kevin 11/20/2008 1:33:04 PM
COPE with it ANC.
Ryan 11/20/2008 1:37:13 PM
I love the way the ANC doesn't have a cooking clue what living in a democracy means. They preach it yes, but when it comes to their actions they make it perfectly clear they consider themselves the only party in SA with a say. The absolutely ridiculous comments by Mr. Zuma regarding the ANC ruling until the return of Christ just illustrates this.
Mduduzi 11/20/2008 1:38:14 PM
How stupid can you be in voting for a party that have done sweet f all in the last few years but screw up SA and make themselves richer
Kolobe 11/20/2008 1:41:00 PM
what surprises all of us is the fact that the pan africanist congress(PAC) does not oppose to lekota?s name, and to claim that the word congress belongs to the ANC while the PAC carries the same congress is rather stupid...PAC has both AFRICAN and Congress in their names yet the ANC never objected...this is nonsense really
Harry 11/20/2008 1:42:55 PM
Hoe kan ek by die nuwe COPE party aansluit ? COPE gives me hope for all honest hardworking south africans !!
Dave 11/20/2008 1:43:03 PM
Mandla i think you need to dry your eyes my son. It's nothing about hating the ANC, i voted for them in the 1994, and have no regrets about it. The ANC today is not the same as it was then, if you had half a brain you would agree with me. Mandela got us all where we are today, the one's to follow him, are just going along for the ride. Carrying on about a name is irrelevant at this stage of the game, maybe if they loose they can blame COPE for causing cofusion? Delerious bunch i tell you...
Sonja 11/20/2008 1:48:35 PM
Does the ANC really think, that if they stop the Cope, there supporters will vote ANC? They have already lost there votes. The ANC is surely desperate.
Mandla 11/20/2008 1:49:30 PM
The ANC is the African National Congress of the people which is different from the Pan African Congress of Azania. Thats why the ANC will never challenge the PAC. The ANC is not contesting the word "Congress", "The Congress of the People" is one that is being contested. All that Shikota knows is to copy and paste, and use ANC Structures to recruit members. This is ok and democratical when its done to the ANC but if this was to be done to your beloved DA, I am sure you will cry foul. Hypocrites!P
Mike F 11/20/2008 1:50:28 PM
is even closer to African National Congress, but the ANC leadership of the time showed maturity and respect acknowledging the democratic right of the PAC to name itself. Fast forward to the ANC of 2008, they bestow upon themselves the monopoly of power over the choices that we can make, even in naming ourselves and our organizations. Vote with your mind and your feet. Vote Congress of the People.
Mandla 11/20/2008 1:54:37 PM
How can Lekota who disrespected the people bring Hope? How can Lekota the intellectual who undermine the intelligence of the uneducated bring hope? How can Lekota who urinate at the African National Congress of the people bring hope. The only hope he brings is to reduce the power of the people for a season then he will disappear like vapour.
stack 11/20/2008 1:59:07 PM
1. do we have any reasons not to hate the anc - bunch of useless money grabbers that waste taxpayers money on nonsense 2. are you honestly telling me the rest of your crew are not theives???? they are worse as they are theives in do-gooders clothing !!!
Mandla 11/20/2008 1:59:54 PM
together with your Bull, you know nothing about the Congress of The People (ANC) thats why you write such Bull!
Johan 11/20/2008 2:01:54 PM
Mandla, please change your name! You are using a name for inter alia a city and a municipality in Mandla district, in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
Rafiki 11/20/2008 2:02:02 PM
Surely there is a serious brain drain in the ANC... maybe its a recession. Are these people capable of running a party let alone run a countory. We are surely in serious trouble come 2009.
wayne 11/20/2008 2:03:28 PM
COPE I HAVE ALWAYS VOTED FOR THE DA, BUT TODAY I PLEDGE MY VOTE TO YOU. I WILL RALLY AS MANY OF MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO VOTE FOR YOU. YOU SHOULD MIMIC OBAMA'S CHANGE CAMPAIGN, IT WORKED BRILLIANTLY FOR THEM. THE TIME IS NOW. LETS SHOW THE ANC THE DOOR. I AM SO TIRED OF THEIR CORRUPTION AND NEPOTISM. LOOK AT THE AUDITOR GENERALS FINDINGS: ONLY 7 DEPARTMENTS HAD THEIR BOOKS IN ORDER. SO MANUALS BUDGET SPEECH MEANS NOTHING IF THE MONEY IS NOT GETTING TO WHERE IT HAS BEEN ALLOCATED. VIVA COPE!!
CTheB 11/20/2008 2:22:47 PM
Hmmm... ANC = Aongress of the NCeople? No, that's not it. ANC = cANgress Cofthepeople? No, that doesn't work. I can't find a way to make ANC stand for Congress of the People (or COngress of the PEople). I hope the ANC keep up with this sort of behaviour - you can almost hear the people changing their votes.

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