Lekota returns to Parliament

2010-07-15 21:19

Cape Town - Congress of the People president Mosiuoa Lekota returned to Parliament on Thursday, to take on the additional role of party parliamentary leader, following the resignation of Mvume Dandala.

"I have not been discharged of my responsibility (as party leader)... I have rather been burdened with more responsibility of both working inside and outside Parliament," he told a parliamentary media briefing.

Lekota will be officially sworn in as an MP next week, but he is no stranger to the National Assembly. Prior to his resignation from the ruling party, he served as African National Congress defence minister from June 1999 to September 2008.

Responding to a question, Lekota assured journalists there was no danger of his party splitting.

"With regard to the question whether the party will split or not, I want to say... I have no doubt that the party will not split at all.

"It may well be that some individuals may decide not to continue to associate themselves with the Congress of the People... ," he said.

Announcing his resignation as parliamentary leader earlier on Thursday, Dandala told journalists he found it "very sad that the struggles for leadership within Cope have deteriorated to a point where divisions are so great that they threaten the continued existence of the party".

Lekota said his party was going ahead with preparations for a national congress in September. He also said a forensic audit into Cope's finances was going ahead.

On Cope deputy president Mbhazima Shilowa's future in the party, Lekota said he remained in this position, having been elected to it by the party's national congress.

"He must remain so until the next congress," Lekota said.

However, Shilowa would no longer serve as Cope chief whip in the House.

"The decision... is that in the light of the difficulties we have, and in order to ensure that the forensic audit goes off smoothly, without hitches, deputy president Shilowa should be relieved of his functions, temporarily, as chief whip, until the forensic audit is done."

The forensic audit comes after Parliament found 32 irregularities with the party's audited financial statements.

It has been widely reported that Lekota and Shilowa have been waging a bitter struggle for leadership of the party, but Lekota on Thursday denied there was any enmity between them.

"There is not any bitterness; there have been points of difference," he said.

- SAPA