Cope co-founder and national organiser Mluleki George says the problems in his party can only be solved by its membership.
Cope co-founder and national organiser Mluleki George says the problems in his party can only be solved by its membership.
"No court will solve the problems of the party, it is us that can solve our problems," he said while addressing the party’s leadership in Makana at Khutliso Daniels Secondary School on Saturday.
Cope had been plagued by in-fighting, which recently saw some members resigning from the party and others being suspended. George acknowledged the infighting in the party’s national leadership. "A lot of people supported us in the last general elections, but we have killed the spirit of those who voted for us. We killed that spirit ourselves," he said to the approval of the leadership.
He said this has also affected the party’s funders. "Sponsors are reluctant to fund the party because of what is happening." He asked the leadership to go and prepare for the upcoming local government elections.
"We have to go back to the people and prepare for next year’s local government elections, and admit to the people that we are in a mess," he said.
"Work with the people in each every voting district. If we want to win, we must have branches in twenty voting districts in Makana," he explained.
He also took a swipe at the ruling party saying the ANC is in a worse situation than his party. "If the ANC is so strong, when it goes down, it will go down with the country, and we have to stop it. We must be able to put brakes in the ANC," he said.
George admitted that the ANC has both resources and a history. "They have [Nelson] Mandela, and they are abusing him. To take him to a rally on a cold day is something I don’t understand," he said.
He asked the leadership of Makana not become somebody else’s person. "Don’t be a [Terror] Lekota or [Mbhazima] Shilowa person, just be a Cope member, if Lekota or Shilowa dies the next morning, what are you going to say?" he asked. He also asked the leadership to establish ward co-ordinating committees by October, and promised to come back after three weeks to see the progress. "The situation in Makana does not look good, and I want it to change when I come back here next time," he said.
Cope has twelve established branches in Makana. George said the party will hold its congress at the end of September.
Cope MPL in the Eastern Cape Legislature, John Korkie complained that he did not receive complaints about government services such as social grants from Makana. "We are deployed in standing committees and there’s nothing coming from Grahamstown. We need to use these resources," said Korkie.
Thembeni Plaatje is an independent citizen journalist for Grocott’s Mail
