PHUTI MOSOMANE
Speaker of Johannesburg Council and COPE councilor Colleen Makhubele confirmed on Tuesday the expulsion of deputy President Willie Madisha and former secretary of elections, Mzwandile Nhleko while briefing the media.
COPE Gauteng Congress National Committee has taken a decision to terminate the membership of the former Deputy President Willie Madisha and former secretary of elections Mzwandile Nhleko .
“We are awaiting the outcome of Mr Dennis Bloem as he, unlike the former , requested a time extension to respond to the letter of expulsion, which was granted to him and the CNC will sit to consider and Deliberate on Mr. Bloem’s response on why he should not be expelled from the party and thereafter make a call,” she said.
Makhubele said the decisions to expel the two did not happen overnight, and was well thought through and took months of internal deliberations and various avenues of extensions of olive branches to facilitate a possible mediation and reconciliation from August 2022.
Willie Madisha, Mzwandile Nhleko and Dennis Bloem were suspended last August, she said their suspension was then met “with complete disregard and they responded by unlawfully suspending the President Lekota and young men were mobilised to physically attack the President at a media briefing.”
Even then, she said patience was still exercised in reaching out to the trio.
However, she said the Congress National Committee realised that the mediation process was exhausted and other means of reaching out had become a futile exercise.
Madisha is accused of forming “a cabal of parallel structures and unilaterally decided on their own conferences and dates using party funds unlawful and illegally as described on the charges.”
“One would imagine that if indeed you can mobilise in that manner and garner support,
the logical way would have been to branch out and open your own party and use your
own funds to further your ambitions, instead of embarking on what is paramount to a coup d’etat.
“It is very unfortunate that their strategy to illegally unseat President Lekota through parallel unauthorised means has failed miserably in the face of the determination of the CNC to exercise its authority and a fierce resolute to protect the integrity of the institution, to protect the order and the tranquility of all members of the party,” she said.
Makhubele urged aggrieved supporters and voters of COPE to refrain from engaging with negative things that can generate strong passions and be vigilant not to be manipulated and used without proper understanding and context to disrupt from the good work that has begun and was long overdue.
Makhubele also confirmed that Lekota is retiring after serving the party for two terms.
Announcements to this effect will be made in the next few weeks on election of new leaders leading up to the 2024 General Elections.
INSIDE POLITICS
