COPE Youth Movement Welcomes Shilowa's Expulsion from COPE

The Congress of the People Youth Movement today welcomed the expulsion of Mbhazima Shilowa from Cope, and paid tribute to the leaders who fought on the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.

Cope Youth Movement President Nqaba Bhanga said that the Youth Movement could now look forward to building the organization uninterrupted by the destructive personal agendas of Shilowa and his cronies.

"Shilowa used the semi-autonomous bodies of Cope to further his own ends, resulting in Cope Youth Movement becoming an internal opposition to the mother body. The politics of systematically sowing division within the party came at the expense of key programmic activities of the youth movement, and it was fuelled by rampant patronage.

"We salute President Lekota for his brave, principled and uncompromising stance in rooting out corrupt elements from within our own house, and we thank the youth who never gave up hope in the struggle against the anti-democratic hijacking of Cope. Having studied the judgment, we have the utmost confidence that due process has been followed to the letter of the law."

Bhanga said that while it was a relief that Shilowa had been expelled, it is now imperative for the organization to move forward.

"Now that many of the factional stumbling blocks have been removed from the party, it is time for performance. There can be no more excuses, and we stand ready to serve Cope in the local government election campaign by mobilizing the youth vote."

Statement issued by COPE Youth Movement President Nqaba Bhanga, February 8 2011

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