Lekota 1, Shilowa 0: and Cope averts split

Cope’s split has been put on hold and party president Mosiuoa Lekota has won yet another round in the battle for control of the party.

This week, Cope’s national congress (CNC) – the party’s highest decision-making body – ratified the decision to postpone the party’s first national conference to elect new leadership until December 15.

It is not clear whether the party’s deputy president Mbhazima Shilowa and his allies are still suspended as the issue was referred back to the same body that recommended their suspension.

The date of the conference had become the latest bone of contention in Cope, with one faction claiming the party wasn’t ready to hold a conference, while Shilowa and his grouping threatened to forge ahead and hold the conference this week.

Shilowa and his ally, national organiser Mluleki George, had insisted Cope was ready for the gathering on November 5 to 7, and a venue had been paid for in the Free State.

This led to the Cope working committee (CWC), a structure largely sympathetic to the Lekota camp, recommending last week that Shilowa, George and former administrative whip Lolo Mashiane be suspended for bringing it into disrepute with their public statements about plans for the congress.

Mashiane’s suspension was for refusing to co-operate with investigators carrying out a forensic audit into alleged mismanagement of Cope funds. The trio’s suspension does not affect their role as MPs, but they are not allowed to participate in party activities.

On Thursday, party treasurer Hilda Ndude outlined several “constitutional obligations” Cope would have to meet before it could go to the conference and she was adamant the party was not ready.

But Shilowa argued that these excuses were not new and the same “flimsy” reasons given in May, when the first Cope conference was downgraded to a policy conference.

This was also when tensions first burst into the open as the Shilowa group had wanted to hold a national conference.

Cope’s national spokesman Phillip Dexter said despite attempts to disrupt Sunday’s meeting and to stop it from taking decisions, the meeting took the following decisions:

* To postpone the national congress to December 15 and 16;

* To ensure all branches were audited before the congress could take place and that all branches were empowered to participate;

* The chapters, youth and women’s movements must hold their congresses before the elective congress;

* Nominations must be made properly by the branches;

* Constitutional amendments must be finalised before the congress; and

* Logistical preparations, the local government elections manifesto, candidate selection criteria for councillors and the appointment of an independent electoral commission must be finalised.

Party insiders said the CNC had voted on the conference date, with Lekota gaining a narrow 51-49 win to postpone it.

Shilowa’s suspension, with that of George and Mashiane, was not finalised and had been referred to the CWC to “process”. Dexter said this would happen this week.

Shilowa said yesterday his group would go to the December 15 conference

. “We’ll give them one more chance… This is the last grace as the CNC’s term also ends in December.” - Political Bureau