Congress of the People (Cope) president Terror Lekota insists the party still has an important role to play, SABC radio news reported on Wednesday.

"It was never wrong for us to initiate the Cope at the time we did.

"The overwhelming positive response of the people of South Africa, from all racial groups as a matter of fact, indicated that the mood of the country was that the people felt they needed an alternative and that continues to be my experience today," he said.

This comes after the party's second deputy president Lynda Odendaal resigned from the party and from Parliament on Tuesday.

A member of Cope's national working committee Simon Grindrod on Tuesday resigned as a member of Cope's national working committee and the party's head of elections, but remained an ordinary party member.

Grindrod attacked the party, calling it a "great fraud".

"It is becoming my view that a great fraud has been perpetrated against the South African electorate and I will no longer be part of leading it," he said in a letter to the party's general secretary.

"After eight months of genuine effort to further the work of the party as a member of the national executive, I am now convinced that very little appetite exists to accept, let alone rectify, the very serious challenges which face the party."

Grindrod said the party was beset by problems, ranging from leadership battles between party president Lekota and his deputy Mbhazima Shilowa, to party list manipulation, a culture of denialism, an inactive party website and an empty head office in central Johannesburg costing R60 000 a month.