Cope suspends its president Lekota for 'lacking strength'

Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota has suspended party deputy president Willie Madisha who earlier on Monday, had announced his own suspension as party leader.

In an earlier press conference on Monday Madisha, held a press conference where he announced an urgent congress national committee decision to place Lekota on immediate suspension.

Madisha said placing Lekota on suspension had been a resolution of the meeting held on Sunday. He said Lekota lacked energy to continue with the business of the party and take it forward.

However in a statement late on Monday Lekota and national chairperson Teboho Loate announced the suspension of Madisha, secretary for communications Dennis Bloem, and secretary for elections, Mzwandile Hleko. 

Loate said Lekota remained active and competent to lead the party and serve as its parliamentary leader.

"He has the confidence and full support of the CNC (Congress National Committee) as reaffirmed by the meeting of 20 August 2022. Any hallucinations by Willie Madisha and his clique must be dismissed with contempt.

"The facts of the matter are that a clique of only three leaders in the CNC has been engaged in conduct that is unconstitutional, ambitious, and irrational for some time. 

"Today’s sideshow was an irrational sham indicative of desperately wounded fellows who will resort to desperate measures to spread falsehoods and confusion. This morning they received a legal notice from the party lawyers, to desist and stop the convening of the press briefing because they are under suspension and do not have a legal mandate to speak on behalf of Cope. They will bear the consequences," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Madisha accused Lekota of being part of efforts to divide Cope.

"The frequent meetings he convenes to form parallel structures in Cope which are made to organise and compete against each other instead of building and uniting the party."

Madisha said given Lekota's "lack of energy and strength" the party's national leadership had advised Lekota to step back.

"Given his health conditions, he is not able to perform what the party and all South Africans expect him to do, which is to attend to the work of parliament," Madisha said.

Cope has been on an electoral decline with its number of seats both at municipal level declining with each election.

During the last election, Cope's parliamentary seats dropped to only two.