COPE leaders battle it out in court - perhaps

The South Gauteng High Court must today decide who the Congress of the People's rightful leader is.

Mbhazima Shilowa has been out of COPE since February this year after his rival, Mosiuoa Lekota, won an interim interdict against him.

The interdict barred Shilowa from referring to himself as COPE's president, from holding COPE meetings, from accessing COPEps bank accounts and from working at Parliament as a COPE MP.

A month after he won the interdict, Lekota, the former defence minister, moved to expel nine Shilowa-aligned leaders, including his former deputy defence minister, Mluleki George.

Today is the return date of that interdict in the South Gauteng High Court, where it will be made a permanent order of the court - or not.

Zale Madonsela, COPE's second deputy president from the Shilowa faction said Shilowa was optimistic that the interdict would be overturned.

"Lekota has recently suffered serious setbacks. The Bhisho High Court instructed the Eastern Cape legislature to ignore his instruction to divert party funds to his supporters. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration then ordered the reinstatement of a number of Shilowa supporters," said Madonsela.

He accused Lekota of playing foul by trying to get today's court date postponed until October.

Lekota's spokesman Phillip Dexter said: "Our advocate has fallen ill and has been hospitalised" and that they had sought a postponement.

Shilowa's lawyers disagreed.