Court halts COPE conference

THE Eastern Cape conference of the embattled Congress of the People (COPE) was halted at the last minute when a faction aligned to deputy president Mbhazima Shilowa was granted an interdict.

The conference, arranged by a faction aligned to COPE president Mosiuoa Lekota, was scheduled to take place yesterday and today.

However on Thursday, the East London High Court granted the interdict, which throws into disarray preparations for the party’s very first national congress, scheduled for next weekend.

The party, formed in 2008, has seen little political action and more drama in the courts since its inception, due to crippling and divisive leadership power squabbles between co-founders Lekota and Shilowa.

In the East London High Court this week, the Shilowa-aligned group was led by provincial secretary Archie Ralo and chairman Sam Kwelita faced off against a Lekota-aligned faction led by Mbulelo Ntenjwa.

The court issued an interdict against the Lekota group from proceeding with their planned provincial congress and election of new leaders.

The Shilowa faction argued that the other group did not have the authority to convene conferences and that most branches were excluded.

Thursday’s interim court interdict is expected to be made final by January 7 if no appeal is lodged against it.

“This serves to interdict the respondent and/or any other person not authorised in terms of COPE constitution from undertaking preparations for and convening a provincial congress or chairing such congress in the Eastern Cape,” the court papers read.

Ntenjwa and another COPE leader, Sipho Mkwayi, were also interdicted in late November by the Bhisho High Court from referring to themselves as the party’s chairman and provincial secretary respectively.

The tussle for power in the province follows an October ruling by the South Gauteng High Court recognising Lekota as COPE’s legitimate leader.

The ruling said the party’s leadership had been elected in Bloemfontein in 2008, a legal congress national committee (CNC) meeting, at which Shilowa was made Lekota’s deputy.

The ruling also ratified the election results of the 2010 provincial congress in Butterworth, with Kwelita as provincial chairman, Ntenjwa as his deputy and Ralo as provincial secretary.

Following the South Gauteng High Court ruling, a CNC meeting was called in Johannesburg, but Shilowa-aligned members were excluded.

It required party members in the opposing faction to re-register for membership or lose their seats in parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councils.

Ntenjwa reportedly issued instructions in October that all councillors were to re-register. Ralo said the members had no intention of re-registering.

“They are trying to convene this conference without authority,” Ralo said.

Numerous attempts yesterday to reach Ntenjwa, Lekota and Shilowa for comment, proved fruitless.

It is believed that a court process to interdict next weekend’s national congress is also under way.