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Lekota’s refusal to a political solution has resulted to him being isolated by many members and leaders of Cope. Yesterday Zale Madonsela led discussions with leaders from Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo to consider what she called a sustainable solution to the current impasse in the Congress of the People. A meeting held in Pretoria yesterday resolved amongst others:

• To denounce Lekota as a leader of the Congress of the People as his term of appointment ended in 2010;
• Reject his planned underground, private and exclusive National Elective Congress;
• Call for an inclusive National Elective Congress during the first quarter of 2013 in which all members of Cope will participate including those Lekota claims to have suspended and or expelled from Cope; this is what the meeting agreed to be a lasting political solution.
• To denounce Lekota’s decision to approach the Constitutional Court with hope to get the highest court’s support towards his exclusive congress, in this regard, leaders in this meeting agreed to join forces with the Shilowa counter application against Lekota’s application. The current interdict against this exclusive congress is support by the majority of Cope members across all provinces.
• That as part of an all inclusive congress preparation, National Parliamentary Finances should be subjected to a detailed forensic audit including the alleged R98 735, 56 paid directly to his account and transaction he authorised with his signature;
• The leaders in this meeting rejected the Lekota plan for cooption by the DA. However, as he seems so desperate, Cope will be better off without him.

The meeting expressed its shock when Lekota failed to accept an invitation to a political round table for a political solution. Lekota was invited to this round table scheduled for the 9^th of October 2012, instead of accepting the invite he shoes to go to the Constitutional Court as he did on the 29^th May 2012 during the St George Congress in which when he learnt that he was to lose elections into the Presidency.  

Many meetings that will include as many members and leaders of Cope are in the pipe line starting in Limpopo on the 10^th of November 2012 where leaders will address members of Cope in a call for sustainable political solution. A  National Consultative Gathering is planned for the 16^th of December 2012 in which many members from branches of Cope will be in attendance to reject Lekota as a leader of Cope.

We reiterate our call for an urgent and all inclusive national elective congress that must take place before the end of 2012. This congress in our view should be supervised by an independent body so that its credibility and validity of its outcome can be accepted by all.

We remain committed to the UNITY of the Congress of the People and will continue to talk to other genuine members of Cope to share our view on the solution and how to bring stability to our organisation.

We will work hard to ensure that a lasting political solution to the problems of Cope comes as a result of political engagement with all interested parties including those who are purported to be expelled or suspended.

Through these engagements we shall always uphold principles of internal democracy and the supreme right of members to determine their true leadership through an all inclusive democratic process.