Leader of Congress of the People (COPE) Mosioua Lekota. Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng
Congress of the People (Cope) president Terror Lekota has ruled out any attempts of his party working with the ANC post-elections should the governing party dip below 50%.
Speaking to “The Star” on the sidelines at the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) centre, Lekota said his party would not associate itself with the ANC as it was synonymous with corruption.
“We are an organisation that is committed to rooting out corruption; that is morally upright. Partnering with the ANC would be going against our values as an organisation.
“The ANC has let down so many people with the corruption they have done, if we jump back to the ANC, what are our voters going to say?” asked the Cope leader.
Going back to the ANC would be suicidal for Cope, Lekota said, adding that the organisation must sustain the confidence its electorate has shown to them.
Cope has never been found guilty, or any of its leaders, of corruption or stealing public funds, he said.
“I think that is the record we must stick with and maintain at all costs. We can look to others partners, but we must make it clear to anyone who wants to be in coalition with us that we want someone who will be corrupt free.”
On the question of whether his party will get more than 10 seats, Lekota said he didn’t want to make the mistake of predicting the result, saying that last time he did that he was left with an egg on his face.
“I don’t want to make any more predictions. At some point in the history of Cope I predicted that we would win with the biggest margin and I failed so dismally and now I am afraid to make predictions.
With regard to these elections, there are so many parties and this will make people vote here and there. That on its own will hurt the ANC, therefore it will not get 50%,” Lekota said.
He, however, said Cope will do significantly well, as some of the people who left Cope were now coming back to the party.
Lekhotla alluded that Cope was contesting in all nine provinces, saying that would definitely give it a boost in this general election.
The Star
sipho.jack@inl.co.za
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