Cope president under fire for causing conflict and friction within party

Congress of the People (Cope) president Mosiuoa Lekota has come under sharp criticism from within the party for causing conflict and flouting its constitution.

This after Lekota and City of Joburg speaker Colleen Makhubele allegedly connived to approve the removal of a legitimate Cope councillor, Justice Sefanyetso, from the Tshwane metro council and replaced with Ofentse Moalusi, who yesterday contested for the mayorship position.

Backing

Moalusi was backed by the ANC and the Economic Freedom Fighters for the position and lost with 102 votes against 109 votes for Democratic Alliance candidate Cilliers Brink.

Cope members claimed Lekota and Makhubele had come up with an “unknown person”, Moalusi, to take Sefanyetso’s place.

Lekota has been accused by members of sowing divisions in the party by working with particular individuals, including Makhubele and Cope Gauteng provincial leader Thomas Mofokeng, against other members.

Besides Sefanyetso’s matter, Lekota allegedly approved the unsolicited removal of former Cope councillor and erstwhile MMC for infrastructure services in Ekurhuleni, Ndzipo Kalipa. Moalusi was yesterday sworn in as a new councillor to take Sefanyetso’s place in the council after Sefanyetso was shown the door on Tuesday last week via a letter sent by Lekota and Makhubele to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) and the Tshwane city manager, Johann Mettler.

READ MORE: Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota suspended for dividing party

Court action

Now Sefanyetso is taking Lekota, Makhubele and Cope to court to challenge his untimely removal as Cope councillor and asked to be reinstated.

Cope national spokesperson Dennis Bloem slammed Lekota. “We are saying what happened to Sefanyetso is totally unconstitutional in Cope.

What president Lekota and Makhubele did to Sefanyetso is completely wrong,” he said. According to the Cope PR list at the IEC, Sefanyetso would have been in line to replace former mayor Murunwa Makwarela and this was confirmed by Cope’s secretary for elections chief, Mzwandile Hleko, in a letter to the IEC.

He was duly sworn in as councillor and acknowledged by the council speaker and city manager and a letter to the city from the IEC confirmed him.

Bloem said Moalusi did not qualify to be a councillor in Tshwane because he is not a resident of the city but stays in Joburg. Bloem accused Lekota of destroying Cope by “allowing these unconstitutional things” to happen.

In his affidavit accompanying his court application which cited Cope, Lekota and Makhubele as respondents, Sefanyetso asked the High Court in Johannesburg to set aside the termination of his Cope membership and be restored to all his positions in the party, particularly that of Cope PR councillor in Tshwane council.

Infringement

Regarding allegations by Mofokeng and Makhubele that Sefanyetso had a criminal record and two identity documents, Sefanyetso said the IEC had clarified the two IDs issue as it was its mistake and apologised.

Sefanyetso said his removal infringed on his constitutional rights, including the right to freedom of association and his fair trial right, and the termination of his Cope membership was “malicious, arbitrary, dangerously dictatorial, reprehensible and flouted” the party’s constitution.

Attempts to get comment via telephone or Whatsapp from Lekota were unsuccessful. Makhubele referred enquiries to Mofokeng, who promised to respond but was later not reachable by phone.

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