POLITICS

Mvume Dandala COPE's presidential candidate

Former head of Methodist Church chosen as candidate for election 2009

20 February 2009: COPE's Congress National Committee (CNC) yesterday finalised the presidential selection process for the elections campaign 2009. This process was chaired by Dr Barney Pityana whose commission tabled a report to the CNC yesterday for consideration and debate.

COPE CNC wishes to announce that COPE's Presidential candidate will be Dr Mvume Dandala. He was chosen after being nominated by COPE structures throughout South Africa.

Dr Dandala is a former head of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa who has just completed a five-year term as general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches. This is part of the continuing process to finalize COPE's list for its public representatives at national and provincial levels.

Dr Dandala, who lives in Gauteng, is well known for his distinguished role in mediating an end to violence in the lead up to democracy in South Africa. This election is a crossroads for South Africa. COPE stands for clean governance that efficiently delivers service to the people.

South Africa needs an honest, trustworthy and highly-skilled leader, someone who can restore to our people hope and belief in our country. We need a leader we can look up to and respect, a leader who can inspire South Africans to take our nation from being a good one to a great one. We need a leader who represents the values that we in COPE espouse, honesty, hard work and family values.

The process resumes on Monday the 23rd February with the formal acceptance of the nomination by Dr Dandala and the selection of Premier Candidates for all nine provinces and representatives for provincial and national legislature.

Statement issued by the General Secretary of the Congress of the People, Charlotte Lobe, February 20 2009