| Cope congress in May |
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| Written by ERIC NAKI / Deputy Editor |
| Monday, 08 February 2010 09:22 |
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Congress of the People is preparing for its elective national congress to be held in May. Following the party’s Congress National Committee, COPE announced at the weekend that it will hold its congress in May. The congress would be preceded by a national policy conference which in turn will be preceded by provincial conferences. The congress is expected to evaluate & assess the political work as well as organisational work of the organisation to be presented by COPE president Mosiuoa Lekota and general secretary Charlotte Lobe respectively. It will also receive a report on the COPE’s state of finances and resource mobilization from its treasurer.The party’s will adopt its Constitution, policies and the party’s clarify and adopt the party’s positions regarding meeting basic needs of our people; the improvement of the quality of life of our people; fighting poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment; and providing hope for a better tomorrow. Cope’s Programme of Action with measurable targets that will make the organization to realize its agenda of bringing Change and Hope to all South Africans in its primary task of defending our Constitution and Democracy, will also be adopted. The election of leadership will also take place but the party cautioned that this is not the main issue of the congress saying the current CNC will lead the organisation until the next congress. “We will resist at all costs, the pressure exerted upon us by our adversaries that the election of the Congress National Committee is the most important of all the above tasks. We are at one that the National Congress is an important part of the process of organizational renewal and internal democracy both in terms of the policy direction the organization may want to take and election of a leadership collective that shall take overall responsibility for the implementation of such policies,” said COPE in a statement. Clarifying the early calling of a the congress, the party said while it was mandated by the Inaugural Congress of COPE held in Bloemfontein mandated the CNC to convene a National Congress in 18 to 24 months, it realised that the 18 months will lapse in mid-June 2010 and the outer limit or the 24 months lapses in mid-December 2010. Because of the FIFA World Cup starting on June 11 and ending on July, 11, 2010 this meant that they have either to hold it before then or thereafter. But the CNC has decided that the National Congress will be held by no later than the end of May 2010. When deciding about May as the date of the congress, the CNC felt that this will enable COPE to stabilize beyond Congress and have enough time to prepare for the 2011 Local Government Elections. “In this instance, the period of the FIFA World Cup should be utilized to finalize the 2011 Local Government Election Manifesto... During this year COPE will emerge from its National Congress more united than before and more resolved to defend our country’s Constitution and Democracy. As we undertake the above responsibilities we must be mindful of the fact that the Congress of the People remains the only feasible alternative to the ruling party and the only HOPE of our people, we dare not fail.” The themes are of the congress would be:
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