Cope leader Mosioua Lekota won two major court victories on Friday.
In the Johannesburg High Court, the party won after an opposing faction argued that the provincial congress held last weekend in Meyerton was illegitimate.
In the Pretoria High Court, Lekota won after an urgent interdict by a faction aligned to Mbhazima Shilowa in the party demanded that this weekend’s national congress in Boksburg be cancelled, was set aside.
The court ruled that the party was a good contender for the elections and the congress, where party leaders will be elected, should go ahead. This is the first national congress the party will hold since it was formed in 2008.
After the court case, Lekota who was accompanied to court by Cope’s head of elections, Dennis Bloom, said: “We have been vindicated. We have always been right. The congress is going to go ahead now. While the case was on, there were people waiting at Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Convention Centre for the decision to be made so that the congress could start. There is no stopping us now.”
Lekota, who won a court case against rival Shilowa to be party leader in October, said he was optimistic about the party’s future. “We now have to come up with a smooth constitution and elect party leadership this weekend.
“The court cases have not damaged the party, but have in fact shown that we can pass each and every test placed before us. It also shows that people can rely on us every step of the way as nothing is hidden by us. We have shown that we are men and women of integrity that can be relied on.”
Cope spokesman Johann Abrie said: “There is absolutely no reason why these people, who are no longer members of Cope, should continue to concern themselves with the activities of the organisation.
“We are gaining in strength as we put this adversity behind us and the more than 700 delegates currently at the Birchwood will, as planned, vote in a transparent manner for a national leadership to take the party forward…”
- Pretoria News