Congress of the People (COPE) national spokesperson Dennis Bloem has slammed Joburg speaker and COPE member Colleen Makhubele for “interfering in Tshwane Cope's affairs when she is a “mere deployee”.
Bloem was addressing the delays in the Tshwane mayoral election caused by the confusion over the filling the lone council seat of former mayor and COPE member Murunwa Makwarela.
This after Makhubele, in a letter TimesLIVE has seen, on Monday instructed the withdrawal of Makwarela's replacement, Justice Thabang Sefanyetso, who was sworn in last week and participated in the Friday attempt to elect a new mayor.
“That letter was not from COPE. That letter was from an individual who is just a speaker of the City of Johannesburg,” said Bloem.
Bloem alleges that a meeting was held at the weekend with Cope's president, Mosiuoa Lekota, and it was agreed that the infighting in COPE should come to an end.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Bloem alleged that it might be because of Lekota's doing that Makhubele believes she has the powers to intervene and interfere in the business of another council. He also accused Lekota of being dishonest, citing that they met at the weekend and resolved the Tshwane COPE replacement matter.
After Sefanyetso's swearing in as Makwarela's replacement, a faction of the party claimed that he is a questionable character, saying he has two identity documents and a criminal record — suggesting that he be should be withdrawn from council.
Bloem defended Sefanyetso, saying that the national structures of the party had endorsed him and that he had passed the vetting process. Bloem also poured cold water on the allegations before Sefanyetso, claiming that the two IDs were a result of an IEC mistake which was later rectified. He also dismissed the criminal record claim, saying that Sefanyetso was fined for speeding in 2001 and had since been cleared.
“A proper structure of COPE has nominated Justice Sefanyetso as Cope's replacement for Makwarela. He is legit, he is not just a random person we picked off the street. He is our candidate and he must be recognised,” said Bloem.
The national spokesperson added that the infighting in the party “must stop immediately and not be tolerated any longer”.
“Strong action will be taken against anyone who continues with this unacceptable behaviour,” said Bloem.
On Monday afternoon, the council meeting scheduled to elect a mayor for the capital city had still not nominated candidates, delayed by numerous caucus breaks and time requested by speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana to consult legal experts over the COPE candidature debacle.
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Joburg speaker slammed for interfering in Tshwane's COPE affairs
Image: Freddy Mavunda
Congress of the People (COPE) national spokesperson Dennis Bloem has slammed Joburg speaker and COPE member Colleen Makhubele for “interfering in Tshwane Cope's affairs when she is a “mere deployee”.
Bloem was addressing the delays in the Tshwane mayoral election caused by the confusion over the filling the lone council seat of former mayor and COPE member Murunwa Makwarela.
This after Makhubele, in a letter TimesLIVE has seen, on Monday instructed the withdrawal of Makwarela's replacement, Justice Thabang Sefanyetso, who was sworn in last week and participated in the Friday attempt to elect a new mayor.
“That letter was not from COPE. That letter was from an individual who is just a speaker of the City of Johannesburg,” said Bloem.
Bloem alleges that a meeting was held at the weekend with Cope's president, Mosiuoa Lekota, and it was agreed that the infighting in COPE should come to an end.
However, in a dramatic turn of events, Bloem alleged that it might be because of Lekota's doing that Makhubele believes she has the powers to intervene and interfere in the business of another council. He also accused Lekota of being dishonest, citing that they met at the weekend and resolved the Tshwane COPE replacement matter.
After Sefanyetso's swearing in as Makwarela's replacement, a faction of the party claimed that he is a questionable character, saying he has two identity documents and a criminal record — suggesting that he be should be withdrawn from council.
Bloem defended Sefanyetso, saying that the national structures of the party had endorsed him and that he had passed the vetting process. Bloem also poured cold water on the allegations before Sefanyetso, claiming that the two IDs were a result of an IEC mistake which was later rectified. He also dismissed the criminal record claim, saying that Sefanyetso was fined for speeding in 2001 and had since been cleared.
“A proper structure of COPE has nominated Justice Sefanyetso as Cope's replacement for Makwarela. He is legit, he is not just a random person we picked off the street. He is our candidate and he must be recognised,” said Bloem.
The national spokesperson added that the infighting in the party “must stop immediately and not be tolerated any longer”.
“Strong action will be taken against anyone who continues with this unacceptable behaviour,” said Bloem.
On Monday afternoon, the council meeting scheduled to elect a mayor for the capital city had still not nominated candidates, delayed by numerous caucus breaks and time requested by speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana to consult legal experts over the COPE candidature debacle.
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