COPE

We need leaders who are honest servants of the people…with respect for values and the principles of the South African people….a growing economy…ensuring sustainable development educating and training our people for development ensuring safety for all citizen advancing the African Agenda and creating a better world.

TODAY WE REITERATE WHAT WE SAID IN 2009, only this time we say it with a greater sense of urgency and the certainty that the vast majority of the people of our country will agree that SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A BETTER GOVERNMEN with leaders who are honest servants of the people, who have respect for values and the principles of the South African people, meet their promises of service delivery and lead and create conditions for a growing economy and sustainable development, a world class education system, quality safety and security for all in human settlements that are conducive to building social cohesion, a better South Africa and therefore place us in a better position to contribute to advancing the African Agenda and creating a better world.

IN 2009 WE SAID THAT SOUTH AFRICA NEEDED a government of the people and that there was a need to inspire South Africans to build a better South Africa. Today we say that SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A BETTER GOVERNMENT. We are reminding you that YOUR VOTE CAN DELIVER IT! Today we are asking you to see that YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU.

TODAY we are calling on you to SAVE SOUTH AFRICA. SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A BETTER GOVERNMENT – A GOVERNMENT THAT KEEPS ITS PROMISES AND REPORTS BACK.

IN OUR 2009 MANIFESTO WE PROMISED YOU leaders who are honest and committed to serving the people. We said that “COPE will present South Africa with a leadership who are committed to serving the people, protecting and preserving public resources and assets and ensure that corruption, waste and mismanagement are eradicated”.

WE ARE PROUD TO REPORT to South Africans today that we are still bound by that commitment and that we stayed true to that undertaking. Wherever we found that our leaders or members were implicated in any of the above stated wrong-doing we acted with speed and without fear or favour.

IN OUR 2009 MANIFESTO WE PROMISED YOU a government of the people and said amongst other things that “Our country is full of good, hard-working people who deserve a government that is truly accountable and committed to serving them and does not tolerate corruption and personal greed. To achieve this objective, COPE will enable people to directly elect their most senior representatives, namely, the President, Premiers and Mayors.

WE ARE PROUD TO REPORT to South Africans today that we are still committed to those principles and to that effect, the First National Congress of the Party revised our constitution to enable that with effect from the next Congress, the President of the Party be elected directly by all members of the Party, not only delegates attending the Congress – something that is unprecedented in South Africa. This is a process we intend to cascade down to the provincial and regional leadership of the Party in line with our 2009 commitment.

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A BETTER GOVERNMENT A GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE WITH THE PEOPLE. TO ACHIEVE THIS WE REITERATE OUR 2009 COMMITMENT THAT A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• introduce the direct election of Presidents by all South Africans, Premiers by all voters in a province and Mayors by all voters in the municipality in order to strengthen the power of South Africans to hold their leaders to account

• introduce an amendment to current legislation, which is currently not explicit on the issue, that will and a transparent reconciliation of votes to voter material to eliminate any possibility of election fraud

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT WITH LEADERS WHO ARE HONEST SERVANTS OF THE PEOPLE – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• once again present South Africa with leaders who are committed to serving the people, protecting and preserving public resources and assets and ensuring that corruption, waste and mismanagement are eradicated

• downsize government so that resources can be redirected towards investment in the economy

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT WITH LEADERS WHO HAVE RESPECT FOR VALUES AND THE PRINCIPLES OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN PEOPLE – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

IN OUR 2009 MANIFESTO we indicated that “Since the formation of the Congress of the People, traditional leaders and the rural masses have thrown their weight behind COPE and Communities of faith too have been at the forefront of the formation and promotion of the agenda to promote South African values that are progressive such as integrity, honesty and the rule of law, all of which are found in our faiths and religions in their diversity.

WE ARE PROUD TO REPORT to South Africans today that even more traditional leaders, rural masses as well as communities of faith have realised today what some realised then that South Africa deserves a better government and they have come in greater numbers to support the cause we started then, a cause we continue to be committed to:

WE CONTINUE WITH OUR COMMITMENT to build identity of the South African nation, giving us pride in ourselves as a people, constituting part of what makes all of us – Proudly South African!

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT WITH LEADERS WHO MEET THEIR PROMISES OF SERVICE DELIVERY

Our Bill of Rights states that citizens have constitutional rights such as access to adequate housing, health care, food, water, education, a healthy environment, and security

A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• install strong and stable state institutions to provide these services. These include provisions for decent schools, housing, health care facilities, water, sewage, adequate roads

• re-commit itself to ensuring that all spheres of government are obliged by law to work consistently to create a climate of tolerance for different points of view, and the active involvement of the people in determining all elements of their future

• attract skilled and professional personnel these areas and will train additional personnel

• ensure that public servants have the minimum requirement where there is a lack in existing legislation in this area

• introduce a user-friendly system for reporting failure in municipal services, such as water supply, refuse removal, municipal maintenance and other services

• ensure that inspectors are appointed to examine all services and see that standards are maintained

• ensure that by-laws are enforced and transgressions prosecuted

• set clear minimum standards for service delivery and

• provide a benchmark for service delivery to ensure all communities receive the same level of quality of service

• ensure that an inventory of repairs that are required to be made, is drawn up so that repairs and maintenance work can be prioritised and cost

• ensure that the National Budget is restructured so that more funding and capacity is directed towards local government so that service delivery is enhanced and communities participation is included in the supply of services or aligned to any political party as this creates a

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT IS RELIABLE, ACCOUNTABLE AND INCORRUPTIBLE

Accountability requires government ministers and public representatives to subject themselves and their actions (or lack of action) to sharp and continuous scrutiny. Accountability ensures quality outcomes.

Corruption in all spheres must be stamped out because it corrodes the fabric of society. The PFMA and MFMA are excellent pieces of legislation, but the practice of by-passing the measures in these Acts has seriously harmed our economy and must be fully addressed. Our country is full of good and hard-working people who deserve a government that is truly accountable and fully committed to serving them in an ethical, honest and intelligent manner. For the people of South Africa, only the best form of governance is acceptable.

To achieve this objective of total accountability –

A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• require all legislatures to demand much higher levels of accountability from themselves as public representatives

• empower all legislatures to demand greater accountability of all members of the executive

• allow for an annual debate in all legislatures on the extent to which gover ning parties are observing constitutionality, the rule of law and transparency

• create conditions to ensure that the public as well as the private sector comply with requirements for accountability, transparency and good governance

• protect the independence of Chapter 9 Institutions.

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT EMPOWERS CITIZENS – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• improve public participation in all spheres of government through the increased use of new technologies such as Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)

• ensure that popularly elected representatives can constitutional procedures

• encourage South Africans to develop a culture of working together through voter coalitions to enhance the voice of every voter and give citizens parties

• facilitate, support, safeguard and reward citizen activism and investigative journalism to increase accountability

• ensure that public representatives service their communities without any political bias that would favour members of their party

• create conditions that facilitate NGO initiatives that aim to empower individuals and hold government accountable – such as anti-corruption and service delivery watchdogs – to be more effective and farreaching, so as to bring these programmes closer to the people

• require all citizens to pay for basic services unless

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR A GROWING ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• support the implementation of the National

Development Plan (NDP)

• focus on developing implementation strategies to make the NDP work

• support the growth of Agriculture, manufacturing and mining which are seriously under-performing at the moment will be given encouragement and assistance to increase production and expand employment

• ensure that small, medium and micro enterprises enjoy increased support from government making business

• affordable loans will enable start-up enterprises, with mentoring support to make sure small businesses succeed

• implement sound environmental practices, with an emphasis on sustainable development, recycling, and environmental sustainability

• organic farming, for instance, will be encouraged to protect both consumers and the environment

• rural areas will be supported to create niche markets and take advantage of the growth of tourism to South Africa

• create more trade-able goods and expand inter-

African trade

• support the green economy, being the economy of the future

• invest resources and provide adequate support to existing and legitimate aspiring farmers, as well as qualifying new entrants to farming

• prioritise the empowerment of rural women and young people through mentoring, support, and start-up micro-loans, using as a model the microloan system that has lifted millions of women out of poverty

• strengthen youth service programmes and introduce community-based programmes to

offer young people, especially marginalised young people, life-skills training, entrepreneurship training, along with opportunities to participate in community development programmes

• invest in innovation necessary to turn our society from consumers into manufacturers

• adopt Information and Communication Technology socio-economic development

• seek to exploit South Africa’s competitive advantage in the global supply chain

• strengthen our productive base of manufacturing. mining on their land and that they are empowered to manage royalties properly for themselves and future generations

• conduct a comprehensive audit on land ownership to help inform strategic and practical strategies on land reform, and

• un-utilized state-owned land will be made available prioritising housing or agricultural purposes

• hold discussion on land reform, restitution, market-based valuations, partnership schemes and land administration involving all role players ensuring that the best policies for different areas are designed

• making FARMING Opportunities available for individuals to buy shares in commercial farming enterprises as part of a programme to broaden and diversify land ownership, enhance food production, as well as protect and share skills

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR A WORLD CLASS EDUCATION SYSTEM

SOUTH AFRICANS DESERVE A GOVERNMENT that ensures an overarching system of world class education that builds our learners to be globally competitive, is responsive to the socio-economic needs of society and prepares all citizens to be equal participants in the

Information Society and Knowledge Economy with a culture of life-long learning. A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• set a benchmark for ICT literacy for educators and learners to empower them for e-learning

• establish programmes to eliminate teenage pregnancies

• provide for artisan programmes to be included in the curriculum

• embark on a national literacy campaign

• increase the minimum pass rate across all grades and support the enforcement of common low and does not adequately equip learners for what should constitute a minimum pass mark

• support the exclusion of unions in the appointment and management of teachers at school level.

Politically, we need to limit the role of unions, and free teaching from the demands of union members teaching profession, the teachers, and the learners

• pay and promote teachers based on academic of establishing a professional civil service

• lower the ratio of learners to teachers. This will improve the quality of education and also create more jobs for teachers

• re-open teacher training colleges and FETs with special emphasis on critical subjects. Urgent intervention is needed in maths and science. South Africa ranks second-last in global standings.

We must have greater emphasis on subjects like mathematics and science, as we have inadequate graduates in these subjects and this constrains economic growth

• introduce a multi-disciplinary skills-based performance competency for all learners. Work ethic is another area where our education system is failing learners. Skills and competencies can be included in the Life Orientation / Life Skills curriculum to provide a learning curriculum

• set up communication platforms to identify and develop marketable skills. This will ensure that the education system is responsive to the needs of the economy

• ensure that Early Childhood Development (ECD) practitioners should be recognised as a part of the education system as a whole in full employ of the Department of Education

• introduce Physical Education as a compulsory activity in all schools

• place special emphasis on training and empowering School Government Bodies, (SGB) so that they can play a more meaningful and decisive role in the running of the school

• important gap reduction

• that every Municipality has an FET College

• support the autonomy of Institutions of Higher Education

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR QUALITY AND UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• support the provision and availability of universal healthcare

• in the meantime, pay special attention to the improvement in the quality and affordability of health care taking into account the disparity in the provision of healthcare services between rural and urban areas, the rich and the poor and between the private and public sector

• ensure that automated queuing systems are introduced at all health centres to prevent long lines

• emphasis will be placed on preventative health care to ease the burden on health facilities;

• appropriate remuneration of home-based care givers is addressed and that provision exists within

the budget of the Department of Health for home-based care givers

• hospitals should consider the feasibility of ordering medicine directly from suppliers at pre-approved

prices to eliminate tender irregularities and abuse, and to cut out the middle-man, which adds to the cost of medicines

• government clinics should be open 24 hours in designated areas to improve accessibility to health care to all communities

• ambulance services should be prioritized and attached to clinics so that there are better response times to rural areas and informal settlements

• professional managers are appointed to run health care facilities

• ensure that traditional health practitioners are properly accredited and monitored with the primary aim of improving health care in rural areas and recognising indigenous knowledge systems

• support the global movement to encourage the general availability and use of natural therapies, treatments or medicines among South Africans

• ensure that indigenous knowledge systems are given space to develop further within the wider ambits of the health care system

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR FIGHTING CRIME AND ENSURING SAFETY AND SECURITY FOR ALL – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• ensure that the national and other police

• depoliticise all the safety, security and intelligence services as part of establishing a professional civil service

• review the Protection of State Information Bill (Secrecy Bill) so that it is not used to subvert the freedom of the press or to hide corruption or violate the rights of citizens

• allocate resources to the police is standardised according to minimum criteria that will be established. We need to consider population density as well as crime trends in responding to the needs of the community well as performance

• re-introduce specialised police units

• have a specialised focus on sexual offences,

• require that the Legal Aid Board to have stricter rules and regulations for deciding which cases are funded by the state

• put in place a priority programme for maximum endangered wildlife species will be legislated sentence. Other serious offences already have a mandatory minimum sentence

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR HUMAN SETTLEMENTS THAT ARE CONDUCIVE TO BUILDING SOCIAL COHESION – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

• identify land for settlement, will identify legitimate claimants, will provide serviced sites to empower people

• ensure that community members who so wish are encouraged, empowered and supported, to build their own houses on serviced stands thus bring back pride in ownership, dignity and reduce massive housing corruption

• ensure that a policy is in place to expand accessibility to housing with special attention being paid to the poorest, the youth, those in rural areas as well as those in urban informal settlements and the disabled

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR ADVANCING THE AFRICAN AGENDA AND CREATING A BETTER WORLD – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL: AS STATED IN 2009

• continue to ensure that our country plays its role as a force for progressive change for a stronger South Africa, better Africa and more humane world based on a human rights culture

• work with the SADC countries to expedite the process implementing the agreements already reached to progress regional integration, including addressing the challenges of poverty, peace, stability, democracy and human rights

• work with all the countries of our Continent to accelerate the processes towards the development and Unity of Africa, including addressing the challenges of poverty, peace, stability, democracy and human rights and to promote trade between African countries

• work globally with all like-minded countries to address such important global challenges as the reform of the United Nations and other institutions of global governance in the multilateral system, climate change, trans-national organised crime, and international terrorism

• ensure, by our actions, that the renewal of Africa through the implementation of NEPAD, remains the centre-piece of our foreign policy and that our country continues to enjoy the respect of the

African masses throughout Africa and the African Diaspora; and

• work with fraternal parties for democracy, freedom of expression, press freedom and freedom of association and constitutionalism

SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN LEAD AND CREATE CONDITIONS FOR BUILDING A BETTER SOUTH AFRICA – A COPE GOVERNMENT WILL:

IN 2009 WE SAID THAT WE WERE “inspired by the vision shared by all our people, black and white, of the sense of history as we get a new opportunity to build anew a people-centred, caring and inclusive and common

South African nation. Building a South Africa in which we all, equally, have rights and responsibilities. A South Africa to whose development we have individual and collective responsibility, for the sake of our future generations.

WE ARE PROUD TO REPORT to South Africans today that we continue to be equally inspired by ordinary South Africans who do extra-ordinary deeds every day.

IN OUR 2009 MAINFESTO WE SAID THAT “COPE will therefore support the emerging unity of all South Africans, sharing a common patriotism, and committed to combining their efforts to build the South Africa of our dreams, with special focus on the eradication of poverty and underdevelopment and of ensuring greater prosperity”.

WE ARE PROUD TO REPORT that we are implementing this noble ideal through our work with other South Africans within the Collective for Democracy where we have agreed on working together based on twenty points which we believe are a priority for our country,South Africa.

IN 2009 WE SAID THAT SOUTH AFRICA NEEDED a government of the people and that there was a need to inspire South Africans to build a better South Africa.

Today we are saying that SOUTH AFRICA DESERVES A BETTER GOVERNMENT

Today we are reminding you that YOUR VOTE CAN DELIVER IT!

Today we are asking you to see that YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU

TODAY we are calling on you to SAVE SOUTH AFRICA. IN 2009 WE ASKED YOU, SOUTH AFRICANS, TO VOTE FOR COPE and be a part of history. We thank you for writing that page and we are making that call to you one more time. We ask you to VOTE FOR THE CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE and turn a new page in the post democracy chapter of South Africa’s history noting that this is the most important and historic election in our country since the dawn of our democracy 20 years ago.

Party Leaders

President: Mosiuoa “Terror” Lekota

Mosiuoa Lekota grew up in Kroonstad, Free State.

He was expelled from the University of the North due to his political involvement with the Student Representative Council and the Black Consciousness Movement. While the elected Permanent Organiser for the South African Students’ Organisation (SASO), he was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1974. Following his release in 1983, he was one of the defendants in the 1985 Delmas Treason Trial and imprisoned for four more years.

President Lekota has served as the premier of the Free State, the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces and Minister of Defence. He is fluent in six of the 11 official languages (Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Afrikaans and English).

Follow him on Twitter – @TerrorLekota

Deputy President: Willie Mothipa Madisha

William Mothipa “Willie” Madisha grew up in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.

He studied teaching at the Transvaal College of Education and served as the President of the South African Democratic Teachers Union for 12 years (1996-2008). He also served as President of the Congress of South African Trade Unions from 1999-2008.

Deputy President Madisha continues to work for the realisation of workers’ rights.

Find him on Twitter – @williemadisha

National Chairperson: Pakes Dikgetsi

Pakes Dikgetsi is a lifelong resident of Kimberley, Northern Cape.

He has served as a Member of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature since 1994. National Chairperson Dikgetsi is a former Member of the Executive Council for Finance, as well as Local Governance. He holds a master’s degree in local government, and a certificate in executive management.

The National Chairperson is a community politician, and has played a vital role in establishing various media and civil society organisations in his province. He continues to play an active role in his community.

Follow him on Twitter – @pakesdikgetsi

General Secretary: Lyndall Shope-Mafole

Lyndall Shope-Mafole was born in Johannesburg, but spent her childhood in countries such as Zimbabwe, Botswana and Tanzania due to her parents’ involvement with the struggle against apartheid.

She holds a master’s degree in telecommunications from Cuba and has served as deputy director-general of the Department of Communications.

The General Secretary is the first recipient of the African Lifetime Achievement Award/ITC.

Deputy General Secretary: Deidre Carter

Deputy General Secretary Deidre Carter hails from the Free State, but currently lives in KwaZulu-Natal.

She has extensive administrative experience and is skilled in the areas of human resources, credit control, sales, fleet control and the like. The Deputy General Secretary represents COPE as a Member of Parliament. She serves on the Portfolio Committee for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as well as Rural Development.

The Deputy General Secretary is an active motorcyclist who participates in many road safety projects and charity runs.

Contact Details

Website: congressofthepeople.org.za
Telephone: 011 051 4451
Physical address: 6th Floor Metropolitan Building 108 Fox Street, Marshall Town Johannesburg 2001
Postal address: 6th Floor Metropolitan Building 108 Fox Street, Marshall Town Johannesburg 2001