Bloem outline reasons for parting ways with COPE

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Former Congress of the People (COPE) national spokesperson Dennis Bloem has outlined reasons behind his resignation from the party at a media briefing in Kempton Park on Saturday.

This comes after Bloem handed in his resignation to party leader Mosiuoa Terror Lekota on Friday.

Addressing members of the media, Bloem said Lekota’s undermining of the executive decisions, and that Cope was registered as a company, were some of the reasons for leaving the party he helped form when he left the ANC in 2008.

“It was not an easy decision but circumstances forced me to take that necessary decision. I have worked with comrade Lekota for over forty years. I am not here to be involved in a boxing match with him or the party leadership but rather to explain my decision.

“Firstly, the expulsion from the party of the deputy president Willie Madisha and secretary for elections Mzwandile Hleko, both of whom are founding members and to make things worse Madisha was removed as a member of parliament and replaced by Teboho Loate.

“Secondly, the removal of national treasurer Theo Gordon as a signatory on all COPE’s bank accounts where Lekota replaced him with his friends as one of the bank signatories and setting up of parallel structures which undermined the executive decision taken in meetings in Lekota’s presence,” he expressed.

Bloem said in one such meeting, they decided to revive an established provincial structure committees because all the structures had either disappeared or were dysfunctional.

He continued; “We launched eight provincial interim committees (PIC’s) it was only Limpopo that was left. Lekota approved the funding of the launching of these PIC’s, he accompanied us to four provinces and he was a speaker where he was in attendance when those PIC’s were launched.

“However, he broke rank with us and decided to work with the other group led by Loate who was nowhere to be seen during the launching of those structures”.

Bloom accused Lekota of creating his own congress national committee(CNC) parallel to the legitimate executive CNC.

He added; “In my view, the aim was to cause havoc in the party. He was successful because these actions further paralysed the party.

“In 2021 local government elections, the Gauteng mayoral candidates were approved and introduced to the media by Lekota when he knew there were objections from the national elections committee regarding current city of Johannesburg speaker Colleen Makhubele, Tshwane former mayor Murunwa Makwarela, and ex-member of gauteng legislature and caucus leader Ndzipho Kalipa as candidates.

“Myself, Madisha and Hleko had an objection to say we don’t know these people except Kalipa because he was the founder member of COPE before rejoining the ANC. He then called us to attend the briefing where they were introduced, we refused to approve unconstitutional things.

Bloem also stated that withdrawal from agreements with all political parties they’ve had prior discussion with on coalitions in municipalities played a role.

“COPE signed the agreement with the other seven parties, Lekota signed as the president, to our surprise he was the one who supported some of our councillors to go against the agreement. He accordingly, disrespected his own signature,” he lamented.

Bloem said recent reports that COPE was registered as a company was another contributing factors, which he said personally did not know despite being a member of the party since inception fifteen years ago.

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“We have tried several times to talk to Lekota and show him the aspects which in our view he was wrong. He would agree with us but when he turned his back he would do the opposite. I’ve had meetings with him raising these issues and promised to do something about it to no avail.

“I regard myself as the an activist and regard myself as servant of the people. Unfortunately, some thugs are destroying the hard work of ordinary people. I cannot sitback and watch how the destruction of this country continue. I will join others who believe that there is a role for me to play in the total emancipation of the people of South Africa.

“I have concluded that I wasted my time and energy with the once promising party which now a shadow if its former self,” he concluded.

In 2009 COPE managed to win 37 seats in the general election and the party had representatives in all nine provincial legislatures. Currently, it has two members of parliament and not a single representative in the nine provincial legislatures.