Gauteng Cope off to court again

2010-07-07 16:15

Johannesburg - The Gauteng region of the Congress of the People planned to file court papers on Wednesday against its president Mosiuoa Lekota's elevation to leader of the party in Parliament.

"Cope Gauteng is applying to challenge the constitutionality and validity of a meeting that sat on July 2 which decided that (Mvume) Dandala must be replaced in Parliament by Lekota," said Gauteng chairperson John Ngcebetsha.

Ngcebetsha said they will argue that the meeting was not constitutionally convened and that it was not quorate in that less than 50% plus one of the national congress committee were present.

They want the court to set aside all the decisions made at that meeting, he said.

Ngcebetsha said the issue was not whether Lekota should go to Parliament, but it was an objection to the process that decided this. However, he also claimed Lekota did not have the full support of the party for the parliamentary position.

The decision by Gauteng's Cope region was supported by the Eastern Cape, Western Cape, North West, the youth movement and the women's forum, he said.

The respondents will be Lekota, deputy general secretary Deidre Carter as well as Parliament and First National Bank.

Finances

Parliament was included so that it could stay abreast of developments within the party, and the bank was included so that it could be privy to who would have signing powers over the party's money.

Mbhazima Shilowa was also removed as Chief Whip at the July 2 meeting and Lolo Mashiane as the party's representative in Parliament. Their signing powers over the party's parliamentary money was removed amid a spat over impropriety in the management of the party's finances.

Dandala, a former Methodist bishop, was parachuted into the party as president shortly before the national elections of 2009, amid discussions over whether Shilowa or Lekota would lead the party.

Cope was formed at the height of a leadership battle between former president Thabo Mbeki and President Jacob Zuma within the ANC.

Lekota and Shilowa, both party stalwarts, resigned in dismay over the way Mbeki was being treated, announced their "divorce" from the party, and had a short-lived period of political euphoria as they presented themselves as an alternative to the ANC.

They struggled to choose a name and to hold an elective conference, and their election organiser redefected, back to the ANC shortly before the elections took place.

They still managed to fare well in last year's elections, but then the leadership contest spilled over into the public domain.

- SAPA