Staff Reporter.
File Photo:Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota.
The Congress of the People (COPE) has outlined its manifesto and announced its plans ahead of the local government elections on 1 November. The party launched its manifesto in Kempton Park East of Johannesburg.
Despite dwindling support, the party is confident ahead of the local government elections.
Earlier this week, party President Mosioua Lekota announced its mayoral candidates for the metros in Gauteng.
Dr Morongoa Makwarela has been announced as COPE’s mayoral candidate for the City of Tshwane,Businesswoman, IT specialist and City of Johannesburg employee, Colleen Makhubele as the mayoral candidate of South Africa’s economic hub and Nzipho Khalipha, COPE mayoral candidate for the City of Ekurhuleni.
COPE is one of the political parties that used the IEC’s extension of the candidate registration process to register candidates that it had failed to register before the initial August deadline.
The party is expected to announce all the municipalities it plans to contest in as well as its plans before South Africans head to the polls.
COPE was formed in 2008 after former ANC leaders Mosiuoa Lekota, Mbhazima Shilowa and Mluleki George broke away from the ANC.
In the 2009 general elections, COPE amassed more than 1.3 million votes, scoring 30 seats in Parliament. The party took a severe knock in support the following election, in 2014, only managing to get 123 235 votes. This translated into three seats.
This downward spiral continued in the 2019 general elections when the party only managed to win 47 461 votes, giving them a mere two seats in Parliament.
Despite losing traction in the political landscape, COPE entered into an alliance with the DA and other smaller parties to unseat the ANC in Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay in the 2016 municipal elections.
South Africans will go to the polls for the 6th democratic municipal election on the 1st of November.