marine1
Honorary Master
Told you so.... 
Those of you who wasted a precious vote on these guys
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/lekota-a-desperate-man-1.688916
Lekota a ‘desperate man’
October 26 2010 at 09:47am
By VIVIAN WARBY, CARIEN DU PLESSIS and ANDISIWE MAKINANA
Independent Newspapers
Cope leader Mosioua Lekota. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu
Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota has announced the suspension “with immediate effect” of his rival and deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, national organiser Mluleki George and former administrative whip Lolo Mashiane.
Lekota’s announcement at a media briefing on Monday contradicted a statement that had been read out only seconds before.
Read out by national spokesman and Lekota ally Phillip Dexter, the statement said it had been decided that the trio’s suspension from the party be recommended to Cope’s national committee.
The latest drama comes as Shilowa, his allies and provincial party structures are pushing for Cope’s national elective congress to take place early next month and a new leadership to be chosen.
Lekota and his allies say a membership audit must first be done and that the party lacks funds. They want the conference to be held in December instead.
While Lekota claimed on Monday that Shilowa, George and Mashiane had brought Cope into disrepute and were “damaging the party”, an angry George blamed Lekota and his faction for the party’s woes.
Shilowa described the suspensions as “desperate action from a desperate man”.
The statement read by Dexter followed an extraordinary meeting of national office bearers, where it was agreed that a recommendation that the three be suspended be put before a meeting of the congress national committee at the weekend.
But Lekota broke in to say that the suspensions were with immediate effect - and that the recommendation that would go forward would be that the three should face disciplinary action.
Shilowa and George are alleged to have brought the party into disrepute with public statements about plans for the congress. Mashiane’s suspension was for refusing to co-operate with investigators carrying out a forensic audit into alleged mismanagement of Cope funds.
The outcome of the audit is expected at month-end. Shilowa and Mashiane were stripped last week of their official posts as chief whip and administrative whip respectively.
However, a seething George told Independent Newspapers outside the venue of Monday’s briefing that the meeting had no authority to suspend the trio. “I won’t be intimidated to silence,” he said.
Shilowa also said the suspensions were not valid and that the conference would go ahead between November 5 and 7 in Thaba Nchu in the Free State. Funding has apparently been found for the gathering.
But Lekota said no decision to hire a venue in Thaba Nchu had been made by Cope, or any of its recognised structures, nor did any of the structures know about the funding.
He said the congress could only go ahead on December 15.
Dexter said a membership audit of all provinces would only be completed in mid-November, while funds had to be raised.
Shilowa and his allies, as well as a growing number of frustrated Cope members, want leadership elections soon so the party can start preparing for the 2011 local government elections.
Cope leaders in all provinces apart from KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo on Monday supported the conference going ahead in November and slammed the disciplinary action against Shilowa as a ploy.
The party did better than expected when it debuted in last year’s general elections, but since then has largely operated along parallel lines determined by Shilowa and Lekota’s battle for supremacy.
The national congress has been postponed four times. - Independent Newspapers
Those of you who wasted a precious vote on these guys
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/lekota-a-desperate-man-1.688916
Lekota a ‘desperate man’
October 26 2010 at 09:47am
By VIVIAN WARBY, CARIEN DU PLESSIS and ANDISIWE MAKINANA
Independent Newspapers
Cope leader Mosioua Lekota. Photo: Bongiwe Mchunu
Cope president Mosiuoa Lekota has announced the suspension “with immediate effect” of his rival and deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, national organiser Mluleki George and former administrative whip Lolo Mashiane.
Lekota’s announcement at a media briefing on Monday contradicted a statement that had been read out only seconds before.
Read out by national spokesman and Lekota ally Phillip Dexter, the statement said it had been decided that the trio’s suspension from the party be recommended to Cope’s national committee.
The latest drama comes as Shilowa, his allies and provincial party structures are pushing for Cope’s national elective congress to take place early next month and a new leadership to be chosen.
Lekota and his allies say a membership audit must first be done and that the party lacks funds. They want the conference to be held in December instead.
While Lekota claimed on Monday that Shilowa, George and Mashiane had brought Cope into disrepute and were “damaging the party”, an angry George blamed Lekota and his faction for the party’s woes.
Shilowa described the suspensions as “desperate action from a desperate man”.
The statement read by Dexter followed an extraordinary meeting of national office bearers, where it was agreed that a recommendation that the three be suspended be put before a meeting of the congress national committee at the weekend.
But Lekota broke in to say that the suspensions were with immediate effect - and that the recommendation that would go forward would be that the three should face disciplinary action.
Shilowa and George are alleged to have brought the party into disrepute with public statements about plans for the congress. Mashiane’s suspension was for refusing to co-operate with investigators carrying out a forensic audit into alleged mismanagement of Cope funds.
The outcome of the audit is expected at month-end. Shilowa and Mashiane were stripped last week of their official posts as chief whip and administrative whip respectively.
However, a seething George told Independent Newspapers outside the venue of Monday’s briefing that the meeting had no authority to suspend the trio. “I won’t be intimidated to silence,” he said.
Shilowa also said the suspensions were not valid and that the conference would go ahead between November 5 and 7 in Thaba Nchu in the Free State. Funding has apparently been found for the gathering.
But Lekota said no decision to hire a venue in Thaba Nchu had been made by Cope, or any of its recognised structures, nor did any of the structures know about the funding.
He said the congress could only go ahead on December 15.
Dexter said a membership audit of all provinces would only be completed in mid-November, while funds had to be raised.
Shilowa and his allies, as well as a growing number of frustrated Cope members, want leadership elections soon so the party can start preparing for the 2011 local government elections.
Cope leaders in all provinces apart from KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo on Monday supported the conference going ahead in November and slammed the disciplinary action against Shilowa as a ploy.
The party did better than expected when it debuted in last year’s general elections, but since then has largely operated along parallel lines determined by Shilowa and Lekota’s battle for supremacy.
The national congress has been postponed four times. - Independent Newspapers
