CONCOURT DISMISSES LEKOTA'S CHALLENGE

Mosiuoa Lekota's presidential ambitions suffered a huge blow when the Concourt dismissed his application for leave to appeal a South Gauteng High Court decision prohibiting an attempt to hold an exclusive congress without Mbhazima Shilowa.

In a watershed judgment on 21 September this year, Judge Van Oosten interdicted Lekota from convening a gathering in October which purported to seek to elect COPE leadership without Shilowa and his supporters.

In February last year, Lekota obtained a questionable urgent interim interdict against an unsuspecting president Mbhazima Shilowa, in which Lekota ostensible acted as a leader of the party.  Interestingly, Lekota sought to hold an "elective meeting" courtesy of a dubious interim interdict that excludes the majority of COPE members led by Shilowa even before the matter he brought to court has been finalised. This clumsy haste is informed by the unmanageable desire to take COPE to the DA at all cost.

The SGHC judgment, and the current dismissal of his leave to appeal by Concourt, follows a string of similar judgments in favour of Shilowa's supporters in various legislatures.

The Concourt decision confirms our firm view that the courts are not the platform to determine leadership of political parties but their primary shareholders, the members. However, we look forward to the court hearing in February as selected by Lekota and his followers.

We are still of the firm view, that all COPE members must be given an opportunity, under one roof, to chart a solution for their organisation and once again elect a leader of their choice.

Statement issued by Zale Madonsela MPL (Mpumalanga), COPE (Shilowa faction) Deputy President, November 6 2012

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