COPE BRANCHES REJECT LEADERS DEAL

There has been a dramatic twist at the national inaugural congress of COPE after the delegates overwhelmingly rejected a CNC proposal to convert the conference into a policy gathering.

About 1500 delegates of COPE from all the nine provinces have gathered at the St Georges Hotel in Centurion, Tshwane to take stock of the organisation's performance over the past year since the elections.

The party has about 40 members of parliament, is an opposition in seven and is represented in all the provincial legislatures.  The failure of the CNC's motion followed a robust debate amongst the delegates on the correctness of the move given the fact that the congress was the highest decision making body of COPE.  Therefore, such decision as at short notice, could only be endorsed by the delegates.

Earlier the president and his deputy, Mosioua Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa, addressed the gathering and both emphasised on giving power back to the people and respecting the will of the majority. Subsequently, the general secretary, Ms Charlotte Lobe, presented conference credentials which were duly accepted after the two thirds threshold prescribed by the COPE constitution was exceeded. More than 68% of branches are present.

 The rejection of the last minute deal means the conference will now proceed as envisaged by the February 05 CNC resolution which called for the assemble of the congress.

 Lobe will fully brief the media at 11:00 at the conference venue, St Georges Hotel on the Albertina Sisulu Highway (R21) tomorrow - all media invited.

Statement issued by Sipho Ngwema on behalf of the Congress of the People (Shilowa), May 29 2010

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