POLITICS

Why I'm resigning from COPE - Onkgopotse JJ Tabane

The party has become worse than what is sought to oppose

Dear Comrade Lindile Fikizolo, (chair, Midrand branch, Cope),

RE: RESIGNATION FROM THE CONGRESS OF THE PEOPLE

IT PAINS me to come to the conclusion that the Congress of the People has failed as a vehicle of our people's hopes for a balanced and deepening democracy. The developments of the last few months have in many ways demonstrated that we have become worse than that which we purportedly sought to oppose. Please receive this note as my letter of resignation from Cope.

We have over the last two years of our existence:

Witnessed an alarming spectre of dishonest leaders - leaders who say something in the public and do exactly the opposite in the party.

We have witnessed the worst "power mongery" in the organisation. A power play that has seen the failure of our organisation to conduct a decent exercise in democracy - that of electing a credible leadership with a mandate of the people. In the process the image of this organisation has suffered irreparable harm - harm that will take a miracle to restore.

We have been subjected to a collective loss and lack of vision for our party by our national leadership. The CNC ...  has deteriorated into a brawl session where constant fights eclipse simple discussion about what we need to do to improve the lot of our people.

As ordinary branch members we have unfortunately not managed to rise to the occasion to arrest this rot from the top. Our organisation has no visible campaigns that can endear it to our people. We have no business being in politics if we can't impact on so many of our poor people. We have little or nothing to show for it in these two years.

We have seen the most disorganised administration since the homelands system when it comes to running our head office and parliamentary caucus. What is used as a smokescreen - the financial misappropriation is merely a bunch of lies and false woods used as an arsenal to besmirch each other for leadership pole positions and sidestep the fact that we have all failed to live up to our promise for an alternative.

The reality is that this party was simply disorganised and lacked leadership and direction. All of us as leaders can do well by taking some iota of responsibility as opposed to the current witch hunt and finger pointing. How genuine is it to accuse one of embezzling funds in Parliament while you earlier on sat and presided over a decision that the same funds must be used to settle election debts?  Short memories perhaps?

None of this means Cope has not awakened some level of consciousness among South Africans. It has done more than that and has also awakened the ruling party to relook at its ways. We have however failed to be the change that we profess. We have failed to put in place sensible policies that will lead South Africa to a different path of development and prosperity as per our promised agenda for hope and change. We have done close to nothing to militate against the slippery slope that everyone inside and outside the ruling party has realised.

We now see - as a direct result of this spectacular failure - civil society expressing its frustration through multiple initiatives aimed at protecting the constitution on the one hand - an identical platform of the formation of Cope, as well as fighting poverty and corruption on the other - a theme that has dominated Cope interventions ahead of last year's general election.

While the idea of Cope is clearly important in our democracy we, through our actions over the last two years have served to make it irrelevant and lose credibility in our body politic. This failure has also directly contributed to the failure to consolidate opposition politics in South Africa - politics that will never survive unless led by a credible black opposition party.

Needless to say people here and all over the world are deeply saddened by what is clearly a demise of a possible alternative government. The need for that space remains open despite Cope's failure to fill it. Our democracy without a viable opposition is much poorer.

My parting shot is thus: In Luke 5: 36-38, Jesus said to his disciples ([36] ..."No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. [37] And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. [38] No new wine must be poured into old wineskins.)"

I will leave it at that and simply say let those with ears to hear, hear. 

I have after consideration of these and other numerous factors decided to resign my membership of the Congress of the People.

I wish to thank you as a my branch for the confidence you have shown in me  and my branch  over the two years by nominating me to be a leader in this movement at various times and giving me the space to articulate views of this organisation and my own in the public arena with your full support.

I hope to contribute to our country in other ways where such contribution will not go to waste.

Sincerely,

Onkgopotse JJ Tabane

Former Cope member

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