WE CONTINUE to watch the disintegration of the Congress of the People with disbelief.

WE CONTINUE to watch the disintegration of the Congress of the People with disbelief.

Political parties like the Nationalist Party imploded and the Pan Africanist parties died with a whimper as their leather-clad members spouted learned tomes that did not ignite the South African political landscape.

The DA has continuously reinvented itself, first as the Progressive Federal Party and later as the Progressive Party. Then it applied a thin cosmetic layer and called itself the Democratic Party. Its current reincarnation as the Democratic Alliance has a tight grip on Western Cape.

This shows that change can sometimes improve the fortunes of a party. New blood and new ideals can forge a better perspective and an appealing policy to lure voters.

But Cope's fractious quarrels reveal that members have absolutely no coherent policy or desire to appeal to voters.

Their disgraceful shenanigans are about power and greed. They all want to be top dog and reap the benefits of position and power. They worship power above all, instead of pretending to be humble servants of the people.

Cope was launched amid allegations that power hungry activists in the ANC were leading the country to ruin. Its leaders, without a coherent policy for the country, wowed almost seven percent of the electorate to vote for them.

Now they are prepared to stuff the voters as they fight for the "presidency" of the party. The voters will surely react with scorn come the next elections.