COPE President Lekota on "Victory Flight" through the Northern Cape

COPE President Mosiuoa Lekota will take COPE's campaign to the skies this week as he charters a flight across the length and breadth of the Northern Cape, a province spanning one third of the country's territory. Lekota will be addressing mass rallies in four district councils and eight local councils in just two days, before ending off with a rally in Kimberley.
 
Lekota's Cirrus plane took off from Kimberley on Monday en route to Upington where he is set to officially open the business lounge at the city's airport. From there, Lekota will take off for Rietfontein in the Kalahari. The village, on the border of Botswana, may hold the key to an opposition victory in Mier municipality, according to Fred Wyngaard, COPE's Provincial Chairperson.
 
From there Lekota's plane will take him on a 1000km north-south trip through Namakwaland, a district COPE believes it can lead an opposition coalition government in after the 2011 election. "We are consolidating our support base by flying the President into strategically important towns in Namakwa. On Monday we are holding mass rallies in Pofadder and Kommagas, a mining town nearby Springbok. On Tuesday, Lekota will touch down in Calvinia and the COPE-stronghold of Fraserburg," said Wyngaard.
 
"The ANC's support has dropped to under 50% in all six municipalities in Namakwa. COPE is the strongest opposition party in 83% of the municipalities this district and we are campaigning for all opposition voters to unite under our banner to prevent another five years of ANC misrule."
 
Lekota's schedule for Tuesday will also see him flying 400km east to Prieska, a council in the Bo Karoo where COPE achieved significant support in the 2009 election. "We are the only viable opposition party in the Siyathemba council which governs Prieska, Niekerkshoop and Marydale. COPE stands at 30% while the ANC is on 56%, according to past election results. We need to shift the ANC to under 50% of the support but to do this we need DA voters to go to the polls and support COPE, just for this election," said Wyngaard.
 
Lekota's roundtrip ends in Kimberley with a rally on Tuesday evening. "The fact that we are covering so much ground in such a short space of time shows that we are serious about bringing a change in government in this vast province," said Wyngaard.

Statement issued by COPE Head of Communications, Phillip Dexter, May 9 2011

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