{"id":182438,"date":"2022-09-06T20:03:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-06T17:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wardoon.net\/en\/?p=182438"},"modified":"2022-09-06T20:08:34","modified_gmt":"2022-09-06T17:08:34","slug":"cope-members-physically-attack-each-other-during-their-media-briefing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wardoon.net\/en\/cope-members-physically-attack-each-other-during-their-media-briefing\/","title":{"rendered":"COPE members physically attack each other during their media briefing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cope briefing descends into chaos
\nCope members physically attacked each other during the press conference on Wednesday, in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg.<\/p>\n

Lekota was meant to address the media about his suspension on Sunday by Cope\u2019s congress national committee (CNC) for allegedly dividing the party and \u201clack of energy and strength\u201d due to his ill health.<\/p>\n

However, a group of angry Cope members stormed the press conference accusing Lekota of being factional and defying the CNC\u2019s decision to suspend him.<\/p>\n

The Cope members also claimed that Lekota and his supporters had prevented them from attending the briefing.<\/p>\n

Cope divisions<\/strong><\/p>\n

The divisions within Cope this week quickly escalated into a series of back-to-back suspensions.<\/p>\n

This after Cope\u2019s national chairperson Teboho Loate announced that Lekota remained the party\u2019s leader and had the \u201cconfidence and full support\u201d of the CNC.<\/p>\n

The CNC is Cope\u2019s highest decision-making body in between congresses.<\/p>\n

Loate said the decision to suspend Lekota was a \u201chasty and desperate attempt\u201d by the party\u2019s deputy president Willie Madisha, secretary for elections Mzwandile Hleko and national spokesperson Dennis Bloem.<\/p>\n

The trio, who held a media briefing on Monday announcing Lekota\u2019s suspension, were apparently suspended from Cope during a meeting held on 20 August 2022, in the Free State.<\/p>\n

\u2018Three individuals walking the streets\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier before Lekota\u2019s briefing was disrupted, he claimed that he remained the president of Cope and would continue serving as the party\u2019s leader until his term ended next year.<\/p>\n

Lekota said the congress national committee was the only legitimate structure of Cope that had the authority to suspend him.<\/p>\n

Lekota further said he could not be suspended by \u201cthree individuals walking the streets\u201d, referring to Madisha, Bloem and Hleko.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t believe any stories that I steal money, that I\u2019m corrupt and all these things that they have been saying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could no longer keep quiet\u2026 I\u2019m not interested in this story that I\u2019m suspended. Who suspended me? Where was that meeting held? Where are the minutes of this meeting?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u2018I am alive and I am active\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lekota also revealed that he had been ill for a while after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, adding that \u201cI am alive and I am active\u201d to lead Cope.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I should take you into confidence and share with you that I had an attack of prostate cancer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cIf I look a little bit on the smaller side than what you are used to, it\u2019s simply because, in the course of trying to recover from this, I lost quite a bit of weight. But also because I am very physically active\u201d.<\/p>\n