Johannesburg - The Congress of the People (COPE) on Tuesday released its final list of candidates for the April 22 elections and former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is not on it.
Bishop Mvume Dandala tops the list with Terror Lekota occupying the number two spot, followed by Cope second deputy president Linda Odendaal, treasurer general Hilda Ndude and first deputy president Mbhazima Shilowa in the fourth spot.
The list now includes Limpopo premier Sello Moloto as COPE's premier candidate.
COPE head of policy Smuts Ngonyama is number nine on the list.
COPE general secretary Charlotte Lobe said in a statement that this followed a thorough and inclusive selection process involving Cope's national committee chaired by Unisa vice chancellor Professor Barney Pityana.
"We are also pleased to announce, a very balanced and equitable 400 nominee list from Cope for the national parliament, including an over 50 percent representation of women.
"We have also gone beyond our target expectations of our youth representation by over 15 percent," Lobe said.
COPE's commitment to be "honest servants of the people is tellingly represented and actioned in our national legislature list" submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
COPE insisted on a leadership that was representative of and committed to serving the people they represented.
"As a result, we invite members of the public with legitimate objections to our candidate list to take advantage of the IEC objection process when the full list is published.
"We are more committed than ever to building a brighter future for our country and serving the people above all others.
"We reaffirm our stand for accountability of leadership to the people of South Africa and high moral values for our candidates.
"The time for change is now and Cope invites all South Africans to join us in uniting for a better future," Lobe said. - Sapa