I refer to your article Racial slant "costs Lekota major post" in yesterday's edition of Sowetan.

It is regrettable that rumours about the supposed Cope leadership "battle" should be spread in this way, because I believe the truth looks much different. I have attended Cope meetings and was immediately impressed by the party's firm commitment to non-racial politics. Cope was formed partly because of the prevalence of unproductive racial rhetoric in the ANC.

For South Africa to become a truly successful democracy, the racialisation of politics that has characterised the first 15 years of democracy needs to be reversed because it is counter-productive. Embracing racial differences will allow us to build the rainbow nation that Nelson Mandela envisaged. Our iconic leader taught us that the key to progress is unity, and that means disregarding skin colour and focussing on shared values.

I will remain a Cope supporter, because I vote for non-racialism.

Michiel le Roux, Bryanston