Sibongakonke Shoba
10 July 2009
Johannesburg — AFTER a week when two Congress of the People (COPE) leaders resigned and the party's dirty linen was hung out in public, COPE leadership sought to play down the crisis in the party.
COPE leaders, including its president, Mosiuoa Lekota , his deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa , and parliamentary leader, Mvume Dandala, yesterday dismissed claims that there were tensions caused by a leadership battle.
Dandala spoke for the first time since party second deputy president Lynda Odendaal and election head Simon Grindrod tendered their resignation letters.
"I view the rumours of this with absolute contempt, and want to say once and for all there is no leadership tussle," Dandala said.
Grindrod blamed Shilowa for the party's problems, saying he had never defended Lekota when he came under attack.
According to media reports, Odendaal told a Cape Town radio station that Shilowa was part of an "opportunistic" faction intent on ousting Lekota.
Shilowa has repeatedly denied this. "I don't think the party should worry about what may have been said on radio," he said yesterday.
Shilowa said he enjoyed a close working relationship with Lekota and consistently supported the decision to have him at the head of Cope before and since the party's inaugural meeting in December. "I endorsed that decision, and I still endorse it ... I do a lot of things, but with his permission."
Sources say small groups of COPE leaders held meetings at various venues yesterday to discuss a strategy to resolve the problems in the party ahead of the congress national committee meeting taking place today and tomorrow at the party's headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
A senior party leader told Business Day the two-day meeting had to decide on COPE's leadership and the date for its elective conference.
The leader said a motion to "beef up" the party's leadership would be raised.
He said the general feeling in the party was that "influential" people should be included in the leadership so that it did not become a "two-men" party.
"When the party has two leaders who are seen to be divided, people tend to be sympathetic with one or the other," said the committee member.
"There are many leaders who were interested in joining the party but who remained within the ANC, he said. "Some are no longer in the ANC, but did not make themselves available, and others are ordinary COPE members."
Two prominent politicians --- former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Saki Macozoma -- are ordinary members of COPE, and they might be roped in to strengthen the party's leadership. With Sapa
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