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The Congress Working Committee delegation led by the President met with the Eastern Cape Provincial Interim Leadership Group on Wednesday 17 September 2009. The meeting was attended by the CWC, CNC Deployees, the PILG and suspended PILG members. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the state of the organization in the Eastern Cape and unite the PILG behind a common programme of action.

We are pleased to announce that the meeting was very successful and we have found common ground in an effort to diffuse organizational challenges in the Province. This session was indeed a platform where the Congress of the People was speaking and listening to itself.

We collectively agreed to re-affirm all decisions of the last CNC regarding organisational protocol and respect of structures as a unitary national organisation. In this instance we note that discipline does not exist for its own sake but is an important feature of building a strong, vibrant and united organization. It is the collective view of the CWC delegation and the PILG that discipline is quite critical and informs the nature and the character of an organization we seek to build.

We re-affirm the Provincial Interim Leadership Group as led by Cde, Andile Nkuhlu.

We remind Members and Supporters of COPE that a PILG is the highest organisational structure in the Province and must be respected by all. Where problems arise and there is dissatisfaction with any organisational decisions, resolution of such problems is always through the structures of COPE. Comrades are entitled to approach their branches to register their dissatisfaction and this will be taken through the structures until the matter is resolved.

We further re-affirm all the Seven Regional Interim Leadership Groups across the province as earlier constituted.

We must also remind all Comrades that no level of dissatisfaction with the PILG can be justification for the setting up of parallel structures. In this regard the Provincial Leadership has developed a programme to dissolve any structures that have been set up parallel to existing structures.

In this regard, all members are instructed not to hold any parallel organisational meetings outside the structures as affirmed above.

Members of COPE must refrain from using the names of any of its leaders in pursuit of their individual and/ or group programmes.

All members and structures of COPE are called to work with speed in formalising organisational structures by establishing branches in all Voting Districts as guided by the Guidelines.

All pending suspensions are lifted unconditionally and a formal administrative process regarding the execution of such decision will be done in due course.

We have resolved to reiterate the resolution of our founding Conference that the production and wearing of T-shirts carrying faces of any of our Leaders is prohibited. We are firmly opposed to cult of personality. We therefore declare that the currently printed T-shirt is not COPE property and should not be worn by COPE members.

The Provincial Interim Leadership Group shall at all times provide strategic leadership in the province in a manner that seeks to build and strengthen the organisation.