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COPE joins forces with NRP

The Congress of the people announced today during a press briefing that it had merged with Christian organisation, National Republican Party.

“Today COPE takes this opportunity to welcome to its ranks, the NRP,” Cope Member of Parliament, Willie Madisha said.

“We wish to indicate that although discussions for the merger took place for more than two months, it was extremely important that they did because we had to indicate that we were moving from the same position.”

“Both organisations move from the main point that millions of South Africans were and of course still are suffering a great deal and we further are agreed that the apartheid system in SA has come back,” he added.

Madisha further stated that COPE and the NRP which has a membership of about 1800 felt strongly that the ruling party was not doing enough to address issues such as hunger and unemployment.

COPE leader, Mosioua Lekota explained that the members of the NRP would now become card carrying COPE members, stressing that none of them had been forced to do so.

“All the members who are joining COPE, do so of their own free will, nobody was compelled”, he said.

Pastor Tebogo Rakgabyane, the leader of the National Republican Party explained that his party had decided to join forces with COPE because they shared the same values.

“COPE is only alternative for this country”, he said.

Rakgabyane also stated that the NRP believed that churches needed to play a stronger role in politics, adding that government policies could play a strong role on issues such as abortion, which he described as ‘protecting unborn babies who are murdered.’

When asked if the parties shared the same views on all matters including abortion and same sex relationships, Lekota said that merging did not mean that they agreed on everything but certainly shared the same sentiments on the core matters.

“COPE policies remain the main policies even with the merger,” he said.

“Issues will be debated, we can't agree on everything right from the beginning,” he added.

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