Sheriff attaches Cope property

The sheriff of the court has raided Cope's Johannesburg offices to attach goods worth R82 500 following a CCMA ruling on an employee's unfair dismissal.

However, The Star reported, the sheriff succeeded in attaching goods worth only R8 000 in the raid on the Congress of the People's offices.

The items included a few computers, a fax machine with co-founder Mbhazima Shilowa's name on it and a microwave oven.

Sithembiso Khanyile approached the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in July when his salary was cut by half over three months and he was then dismissed.

He apparently believed the salary cut was a result of his support of Shilowa in the ongoing factional battle for the party's leadership.

Cope secretary Lyndall Shope-Mafole told the newspaper the party would need to confirm the validity of the attachment order as it was not the first time the sheriff had paid the offices a visit.

"Lots of people who have been expelled have put us into a lot of debt before. One of the reasons we had to expel Mr Shilowa is that he put us in a lot of debt," she said.