Johannesburg - The youth wing of the Congress of the People (Cope) in Gauteng on Friday said it was dismayed by the party's national committee resolution to to disband its Youth Movement.
Gauteng Youth Movement secretary, Teboho Motloung, said the party disbanded its youth wing and formed a Youth Task Team to be led by Cope National Committee (CNC) members.
Motloung said this meant this newly-formed Youth Task Team was to be led by CNC members “who have long left the youth structures by at least 10 years difference”.
“These shenanigans are [meant] to sow division and stigmatise uncertainty within the organisation and continue to normalise the abnormalities in our operations which Cope suffered in the hands of Mbazima Shilowa and his express cabal,” Motloung said in a statement.
Cope has had its fare share of internal squabbles as its president, Mosiuoa Lekota and his deputy Shilowa, battled it out for the leadership of the party.
Cope co-founder Shilowa was controversially expelled as the party's deputy president several years ago.
“Henceforth, it can't be correct that we today can ask Cope to stand against, among other things, a divisions between Young People/Cope and its Youth Chapter,” said Motloung.
Cope was formed by disgruntled former members of the ANC after the axing of former president, Thabo Mbeki. Motloung said the youth had realised that the leadership had its preference to who should lead the youth of Cope which was why they were trying to facilitate their inauguration at the expense of the organisation.
“We will not allow that to happen not by a long short. This faction that they are trying to establish is not going to see its dawn,” said Motloung.
“Factions started and ended with the express of Shilowa. This thing of theirs of sowing divisions among young people will result in political casualties ...”
Cope spokesperson Dennis Bloem confirmed the youth structure had been disbanded, but deferred all related questions to the party's general secretary, Lyndall Shope-Mafole, who could not be immediately reached.
African News Agency