COPE asked: Who's the boss?

Parliament has asked Mosiuoa Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa to make clear which of them is in charge of the embattled Congress of the People.

In a letter to the two, parliament said COPE should "resolve urgently its leadership dispute and inform [us] accordingly".

A parliament statement issued yesterday said it had received a letter on December 17 from Lekota saying the leadership structure of COPE as elected in 2008 would continue. But on January 19, it received a letter from Shilowa advising that he was COPE president following the party's elective congress that ended on December 17.

The leadership battle in COPE has played itself out in public in recent weeks with Shilowa and Lekota lambasting each other's legitimacy.

Last week, the party's acting general secretary, Nikiwe Num, who is aligned to Shilowa, asked "former" party general secretary Deidre Carter to hand over all COPE property within seven days.

Lekota responded five days later by suspending Shilowa.

Sipho Ngwema, who speaks on behalf of Shilowa, said yesterday they would ask to explain their position to parliament.

"We have written to parliament following a decision taken by party members to elect Mr Shilowa to lead the organisation. We will seek a meeting with parliament and give them an update," Ngwema said.

Lekota's spokesman, Phillip Dexter, said they would respond to parliament today.

"We are taking legal advice on this matter and we will address this matter with parliament."

Since its formation, in 2008, COPE has battled to unite party members behind one leader.

Lekota and Shilowa have, without success, taken each other to court in bids to take control of the party.

With two meetings to elect a new leadership having been disbanded prematurely because of fights, the men have led separate executives.

Yesterday, Lekota and his central national committee resolved to disband party structures in Gauteng, Eastern Cape and Western Cape and said arrangements have been made to hold "democratic, properly constituted [elective] congresses both at provincial and regional level".