NELSPRUIT – The Congress of the People’s (COPE) faction fight is seeing its sole member of the provincial legislature in Mpumalanga campaigning for the UDM.
Ms Zale Madonsela, a former COPE member, won the party’s lone seat in legislature during the previous general elections.
Ever since, a faction fight has raged within the party that took a turn in the High Court, which found Mr Mosiuoa Lekota to be COPE’s rightful leader. The faction recognising Mr Mbhazima Shilowa as its leader has since decided to campaign for and support the UDM in the forthcoming elections. Madonsela belongs to this group.
Explaining why she had remained in her office as a member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature, a seat she won as a member of COPE since the decision to work with the UDM was undertaken in February, she said it was an organisational decision to “join” the UDM, and not hers alone.
“COPE took a decision to continue with the programme towards the creation of a majority alternative which will be a product of the realignment of politics in South Africa. This being a medium- and long-term goal, the meeting further agreed that in the short term, COPE as a party shall work with and vote under the banner of the UDM and consequently its members shall be eligible to be part of the lists of UDM.”
However, COPE Mpumalanga said it would launch a forensic investigation into whether any money meant for the party had been used to promote another. According Mr Riot Hlatshwayo, COPE Mpumalanga head of communications, secretary general Ms Lyndall Shope-Mafole had requested Madonsela to vacate her office after the decision was announced.
“Madonsela’s presence in legislature is a matter of concern to us, but with two weeks to go to the elections we are not going to waste time on this matter. It is not the time for hammering people down, but to go ahead with campaigning.
“As COPE we want Madonsela to be ready for a forensic audit to establish if all the money that was meant for us was actually used for the other party’s benefit.”
