COPE Loses Parliamentary Seats, Mzansi Says Good Riddance
- The Congress of the People (COPE) lost its two seats in the National Assembly, continuing a steady decline since its 2009 debut
- South Africans reacted with humour and relief, mocking the party's fall from its 1.3 million votes in 2009 to 0.09% in recent elections
- COPE's internal strife, including the expulsion of Deputy President Willie Madisha, further contributed to its downfall
PAY ATTENTION: Let yourself be inspired by real people who go beyond the ordinary! Subscribe and watch our new shows on Briefly TV Life now!
Reitumetse Makwea, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Pretoria, South Africa, has covered local elections, policy changes, the State of the Nation Address and political news at The Citizen and Rekord Noweto for over five years.
Source: Getty Images
The Congress of the People (COPE) has lost its two seats in the National Assembly.
The party has experienced a steady decrease in voter support since participating in its inaugural election in 2009.
However, Mzansi was not sympathetic to the party's loss, expressing relief and humour over the departure of COPE, the African Independent Congress (AIC), and the National Freedom Party (NFP).
South Africans left in stitches
Following vote counting, Mzansi was left in stitches. The IEC results revealed that COPE was at 0.09%, translating to 14 177 votes.
@Qhudemanikiniki jokingly said:
"COPE couldn't cope!!! @Sentletse @SizweDhlomo @mathalazaZebra."
@uShakawaseLagos commented:
"Technically, Lekota is now unemployed. Politics is no child's play. He has been irrelevant for too long, anyway."
@kinqa92177 raised COPE's history:
"It took 15 years. COPE to be buried."
@MyAfricanRootz did not hold back:
"Cope has been a joke for quite some time now, and they must go."
COPE's 2009 record
The party in 2009 gained 1.3 million votes, becoming the third-largest party in the country at the time.
Some South Africans argued the party died around 2009, especially due to its internal fights, which included the party sacking its now-former deputy president, Willie Madisha.
@thee_adv also chimed in:
"A leader who overstays his welcome risks his party being relegated into a backbencher and ultimately out of parliament because no fresh ideas come from the party anymore. Lekota has himself to blame."
@mrsmphuthi said:
"Cope died when they said the land was not stolen."
@cataclysmza also added that:
"Unfortunately, that happens when your political movement doesn't modernise itself and appeal to new, younger audiences."
Cope’s in-fighting deepens as expelled Willie Madisha accuses Mosiuoa Lekota of hijacking party structures
Expelled Cope deputy president Willie Madisha is fighting against his axing for the embattled party.
Madisha has filed a court application against leader Mosiuoa Lekota in which he claims Lekota has hijacked the party structure.
He claimed the court application would clean up his image and prove Lekota has hijacked the party's decision-making structures.
Regardless of a Cope faction announcing Madisha's expulsion, the politician claims he is still the party's deputy president.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
