Madisha’s Parly seat up for grabs amid Cope leadership squabbles

On Tuesday, Cope’s Gauteng leadership affirmed its support for party president Mosiuoa Lekota. It endorsed a decision by the national committee to expel the deputy president and elections secretary, Mzwandile Hleko.

Provincial chairperson Tom Mofokeng said the national leadership was already making moves to recall Madisha.

“We think if he’s recalling, even if it was done while he was a member, we think it’s still okay because we didn’t see the necessary input that we were expecting from him as a party.

“He will definitely be replaced.”

Madisha and Lekota occupy the party’s only two seats after a dismissal showing at the 2014 and 2019 polls, from a significant 30 seats as a newcomer in 2009.

Meanwhile, provincial IEC correspondent Colleen Makhubele denied the continued wrangling for power would adversely affect the party in the crucial build-up to elections.

However, she said the delay in acting against transgressors in the party timeously contributed to the undesirable status quo, alleging that ousted leadership sought to usurp power, split and confuse Cope’s membership.

Makhubele said the decision against the pair and party spokesperson Denis Bloem, who’s awaiting a final verdict on the proceedings against him, should have already been made last year.

She said it was clear then that mediation efforts failed, and all internal avenues to try resolves tensions had been exhausted.  

“We could’ve avoided what we have to undo now in our structures had we acted as early as last year September/October.”

Madisha and Hleko have 14 days from when the decision was made to appeal their ousting. 

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