OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY THE NEWLY ELECTED CONGRESS NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE COPE FOLLOWING IT'S  INAUGURAL MEETING HELD AT BIRCHWOOD HOTEL IN BOKSBURG, January 15 2011

The newly elected CNC, a 70 member leadership collective of the Congress of the People, held a successful inaugural meeting where significant decisions aimed at stabilizing and strengthening the party were taken.  

The meeting, held in Boksburg in Ekurhuleni yesterday, follows congress held in December last year at the Heartfelt Family Church in Pretoria. Although the meeting expressed its shock and disappointment at the shambles and disorganization of the congress, it hailed the fortitude and conviction of delegates who, despite the atrocious treatment they were subjected to, soldiered on to deliver a new path and leadership for the organisation.

The meeting noted that there was indeed a deliberate attempt to collapse the conference so that elections do not take place and the old leadership retains power. The CNC applauded the determination of the members of the party to root out any signs of the "Gbagbo syndrome" that had begun to tear our new movement apart.

In line with this tendency, throughout the country a number of individuals have been transformed overnight into so-called party structures and were ordered to bombard the media with statements purporting to be the voice of our people. The CNC resolved to swiftly demystify the confusion in the public arena that is deliberately fueled by those who resist change. 

There's no confusion. There's no split. There's only one CNC which is the highest decision making body of COPE between congresses.

Consequently, the CNC has resolved to speed-up the handover process and interact with all relevant institutions and update them on the latest developments in the party leadership structures so that the necessary changes can be effected. 

The meeting also considered a number of key issues which will inform the operations of the organization moving forward. A major disturbing factor is the abuse of staff members who are used as pawns in the bickering that has engulfed senior officials.

Our respect for human dignity demands that the organization treats it employees with respect and the CNC will, therefore, move with speed to normalize the working environment at Head Office and elsewhere. The Office of the General Secretary will do whatever is necessary to boost the morale of the staff and regularize staffing activities.

Furthermore, the meeting decided to postpone the election of the rest of the CWC members pending the strategy planning session which will inform our way forward.

IMMEDIATE SHORT-TERM PROGRAMME OF ACTION

In line with the mandate from congress which directed that some issues should be processed within a period of three months, the CNC considered immediate tasks which should be carried out as part of its programme.

It was noted that we are currently in the mass mobilisation period for the coming local government election. It was, therefore, decided:

• To call on members and leadership to mobilize the masses to registered for voting in line with the new demarcations.
• Beef-up the office of the general secretary with four CNC members: Mampie Ramotsamai-Kotsi, Moeketsi Mosola, Thami Siwimi and Sipho Ngwema for the purpose of local elections.
• CNC members must visit the provinces to provide reports to all our members including the general public on the outcomes of the congress; seek to rebuild the image of COPE;
• introduce the newly elected leadership to all our structures across the provinces
• Build unity of the party and restore the lost membership of the party through the distribution of membership cards to all those who joined COPE as far back as 2008
• Develop a professional operational systems and a credible membership database system for all the provinces. Ensure that we print and distribute membership cards to all members.

Furthermore, it was decided that in order for COPE to ready for the tough times that lie ahead in the next few months, the party need a strategic planning session so that it can craft and fine tune its strategy and tactics, particularly in relations to the local elections and its political programme in general. The strategic session which will be held in mid - February will look at the following amongst others:

• To assess the party performance over the past two years.
• Analyze the political environment and consider views from the strategic leaders to influence the organizational mandate.
• Input in the overall functionality of the party, internal and external, political and administratively.
• Repackage the COPE brand
• Prepare for the coming Local government Elections
• Political Programme of Action
• Seek to build and strengthen the internal systems of COPE in all provinces and the leagues
• Look into the performance of COPE in Parliament and all the nine legislatures with a view to strengthen the presence and input of COPE, remodeling of operations in those institutions where necessary.

The CNC has noted with sadness the death and destructions that has been caused by the devastating floods. We commend the disaster management authorities for their sterling work during these hard times and urge our people to remain calm and assist where necessary.

Statement issued by Congress National Committee, COPE (S), January 15 2011

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