COPE withdraws from parliamentary activities

11 April 2016 - 19:18 By TMG Digital

The Congress of the People (COPE) has withdrawn from parliamentary activities, saying the ANC’s refusal to act against President Jacob Zuma has made it guilty of contempt of court. This follows a meeting of the party’s congress executive committee in Johannesburg on Monday to consider the recent judgment of the Constitutional Court, which ruled that Zuma had violated the Constitution.Elect a president who is capable and upholds the law‚ Mbeki saysThe party said it had resolved not to allow any COPE representative in the National Assembly to take part in its proceedings until there was clarity from the Constitutional Court on how to proceed.MPs must serve SA, not their party - Three key points from Mbeki's latest letterCOPE “is determined not to make itself guilty through participation in activities that are in contempt of court. Our representatives cannot break their oath of office.“To this end COPE‚ working with other like-minded opposition parties‚ will approach the ConCourt to seek clarity on the way forward‚” said COPE spokesman Dennis Bloem.“Secondly‚ Congress of the People has noted with shock the declaration by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa that church leaders should not meddle in politics but that they should pray for government and government leaders.“Congress of the People places it on record that we reject this misguided statement by the Deputy President demeaning religious leaders with the contempt that it deserves‚” Bloem added.“We recall with deep gratitude those religious leaders who in the course of the struggle stood courageously by the oppressed people in the fight to overthrow apartheid. We remember how they rejected out of hand calls by leaders of the Apartheid regime not to stray into politics.“These outstanding religious leaders included the following who are no longer with us: Rev Motlalepule Chabaku‚ Rev Trevor Huddleston‚ Dr Beyers Naude‚ Archbishop Dennis Hurley‚ Rev Mkotgo‚ Imam Abdullah Haron and Sister Bernard Ncube. Amongst those who are still amongst the living are: Archbishop Desmond Tutu‚ Dr Alan Boesak‚ Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa‚ Rev Frank Chikane‚ Rev Malusi Mpuhlawana‚ and many others.“It may be that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa slept through those years of the struggle when these men and women in the religious establishment stood up in opposition to Apartheid and spoke out against its evil‚” Bloem stated.He added that COPE would continue to meet and work with all opposition parties inside and outside of parliament to ensure that political leaders complied 100% with the Constitution.“We have also resolved to give our fullest support to civil society movements‚ religious formations and all other organised groups who are working to defend the Constitution of South Africa‚” Bloem said...

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