Former Louis Trichardt TLC mayor and the chief whip in the Vhembe district Patrick Sikhutshi, former MK Unit Commander, Jacob Rapholo, former member of  the SACP provincial executive council (PEC) Frans Madiba, and traditional leader Kgoshigadi Malefo Mametsa resigned from the ANC to join the newly formed party, the Congress of the People, at Polokwane last Thursday.

The four new members said they had decided to leave the ANC to join COPE because the current leadership of the ANC failed to address their concerns. Their contribution in their former movement is no longer needed and appreciated. The four mentioned that it was no easy decision to make, but they felt that the current leadership didn´t respect veterans of the struggle against apartheid.

“The ANC is no longer the organisation of the caliber of Albert Luthuli , OR Tambo, Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki,” they stated and accused the organisation of promoting a culture of anarchy and infighting. The lack of functionalism in the ANC has ripped apart the once glorious liberation movement, the four disillusioned members said. “The unceremonious dismissal of former president Thabo Mbeki convinced us that the ANC’s version of democracy is in conflict with the aspirations of the people of South Africa. The decision was made with shortsightedness which failed to comprehend the repercussions. We have now found a new home at the Congress of the People.”

Rapholo was MK Unit Commander from 1988 to 1990 and regional commander in the Northern Transvaal region from 1992 to 1994. He is now general manager of Traditional Affairs in the Limpopo province. Rapholo said he told the ANC leaders long ago that if they fired Mbeki, he was going to leave the ANC. Former Louis Trichardt TLC mayor and also the Vhembe district’s chief whip, Patrick Sikhutshi, said he was unhappy with the interference of the PEC in the appointment of people. Division is rife in all regions of the ANC.

Kgoshigadi Malefo Mametsa said that she was a member of the ANC, but when she realised that the party didn´t recognise traditional leaders, she decided to join the opposition party. COPE’s Willie Madisha said they had won a lot of seats in the Western Cape and hoped to sweep the election in Limpopo. Madisha said COPE belonged to the people, not an individual. “We believe in political morality. We are going to take over the government this year during the general elections and we will address the problem of poverty in the country,” he said.