No end to Cope’s infighting

Despite Congress of the People’s (Cope) top leadership reading the riot act to the party’s lower structures in Gauteng to stop bickering over the Tshwane mayoral candidate, the infighting continues as each faction submits its own candidate name.

Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota and his deputy Willie Madisha put aside their own political differences at the weekend to address bitter infighting between the Tshwane caucus and the Gauteng Cope leadership and to call for peace.

Lekota and Madisha, who themselves had tensions over the party national leadership succession, displayed a united front to condemn the infighting in Tshwane. This after the Cope Tshwane region and Cope Gauteng structures differed on who should replace the disgraced former executive mayor Murunwa Makwarela. He was removed after it was found he had been declared insolvent.

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Tshwane chose Thabang Sefanyetso, saying he satisfied the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) processes to succeed Makwarela as Cope’s sole representative in the Tshwane council.

The Tshwane region said Sefanyetso also attended the last Tshwane special council sitting and it accused Gauteng leadership of being “scavengers” intent on taking over the Tshwane mayorship.

But the Cope Gauteng leadership announced Ofentse Moalusi as a name it approved and it was claimed he was endorsed by Lekota. Moalusi is an entrepreneur and hold a series of business management, finance and accounting qualifications.

According to Cope’s Gauteng leadership, Sefanyetso allegedly has two identity documents and a criminal record and is, therefore, not suitable for the position. The province promised to report the councillor to the police for possible criminal charges.

ALSO READ: Cope throws ‘baboon’ ex-mayor under the bus over forgery

But Tshwane hit back, saying the two identities issue against Sefanyetso was a “concerted effort by this ill-disciplined grouping” to discredit him. The ID issue was a typo resulting from when they issued a confirmation for Sefanyetso, that was corrected.

The region claimed an ill-disciplined member from Johannesburg allegedly wanted to register a boyfriend on the Tshwane IEC list to be a councillor and mayor of Tshwane in violation of the constitution.

They alleged the boyfriend was a Cope member in Joburg and thus not qualified to stand in Tshwane. But they did not name the Cope member who attempted to push for her boyfriend.

The whole mayoral saga began when Makwarela was removed because of being a declared insolvent. He came back later and presented a court clearance certificate for his insolvency and was subsequently elected as mayor, but it turned out the certificate was allegedly forged and Makwarela was removed again.

Tshwane has instructed the Hawks to investigate Makwarela for possible fraud.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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