COPE Deputy President, Willie Madisha, Apologises for Fistfight at Conference, Say Was Not Supposed to Happen

• The warring between Congress of the People (COPE) factions intensified yesterday, 31 August, when a fist fight erupted during a media briefing
• COPE leader Mosioua Lekota called the briefing to explain that his suspensions were illegitimate
• COPE deputy President Willie Madisha apologise for the brawl, saying that it should have never happened

JOHANNESBURG - Congress of the People deputy (COPE) President Willie Madisha has come out to apologise for a brawl that broke out during the party's media conference in Boksburg.

The briefing was meant to clarify the growing factionalism in the party, but it was disrupted when three men claiming to be party leaders barged into the conference.

eNCA reported that Madisha said an apology was owed to COPE party members and the South African people.

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The fistfight comes after warring factions of the struggling political party engaged in tit-for-tat suspensions when Madisha announced that Party leader Mosiuoa Lekota was suspended for sowing division within COPE.

Lekota retaliated by suspending Madisha and two other members. Lekota said that the statement announcing his suspension was illegitimate during the chaotic media briefing.

EWN reported that Lekota claimed his removal power would spell out the end of Cope entirely.

South Africans react to the media briefing fistfight

While some South Africans joked about the fistfight, others said it spelt out the end of COPE.

@777e764d426f40c commented:

"Bye bye Cope, it was nice having you around."

@llutladi joked:

"I'm not happy in the manner in which that fight ended up, it's not fair for a fight that is televised live on TV to last for 3 minutes. We want a rematch."

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@nathanieltsutsa added:

"So COPE is not coping? ‍♂️‍♂"

COPE press briefing turns violent, president Mosiuoa Lekota explains he Is not suspended

Briefly News previously reported that the Congress of the People (COPE) president Mosiuoa Lekota's media briefing on Wednesday, 31 August, took a violent turn when a party member attacked one of the leaders.

Lekota called the media after his party suspended him for being an ineffective leader earlier this week. A group of unidentified COPE members barged into the briefing and charged at one of the members seated at the table.

According to eNCA, the disgruntled members argued that Lekota had no right to address them because they no longer recognise him as the party's leader. The members accused Lekota and some members of the party of dividing the political organisation.

Source: Briefly News