Cope not coping financially: Parliament stops paying party’s constituency allowance

Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo has confirmed that it has yet to pay the C0ngress of the People (Cope) its constituency allowance for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years as it failed to submit audited financial statements required by the political party funding policy.

The constituency allowance system was introduced decades ago to enable political parties represented in Parliament to set up infrastructure for the benefit of constituents.

Political parties represented in Parliament were paid a total of R166-million in 2021/22. Over the next three years, this will grow by an average of 30% a year.

One-third of the funds are split equitably between all parties that hold seats in the National Assembly or any provincial legislature. Two-thirds are allocated in proportion to the number of seats held by a party in the National Assembly or provincial legislatures. The funding is distributed quarterly.

Parties that are not represented in Parliament do not qualify for the funding.

Willie Madisha, who said he remains Cope’s deputy president despite his axing last month, blamed party president Mosiuoa Lekota for Parliament’s decision to withhold the party’s constituency allowance.

“Lekota and I are signatories when it comes to Parliamentary finances, but Lekota has been refusing to sign off the audited statements.”

He said he did not know why Lekota had refused to sign off on the statements. This, according to Madisha, has led to him having to pay for the running of the organisation out of his own pocket.

“It is extremely difficult… that is why we have not been able to run the organisation properly.”

Madisha also said Lekota failed to fulfil his responsibilities to his party and the legislature and hardly attended parliamentary meetings.

“We had 1.4 million people voting for Cope and bit by bit they are moving away. I cannot allow Lekota to continue killing the organisation, but he no longer talks to me. Cope is collapsing because of this man. His term of office has ended.”

More than 1.3 million people voted for Cope in the 2009 elections. Cope, founded in 2008 by former ANC members who split from the party, has two seats in the National Assembly and has been long riddled with infighting between groups supporting Lekota and Madisha. 

Madisha has said he will challenge his expulsion from the party in court. 

Tensions reached a boiling point in August last year when the pair publicly announced each other’s suspension from the party.

Read more in Daily Maverick: No-hope Cope proves how tough life is for small-time political parties in South Africa

Lekota denied that he was responsible for the party not receiving its allowances.

“We were slightly delayed with the audited statements, but we have submitted them recently.”

He did not say exactly when they made the submission. Lekota has been battling ill health but said he had beaten cancer.

There were reports last week that the party had been deregistered as a company by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, but Cope remains registered as a political party, according to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC).

Read more in Daily Maverick: What happened to Cope – from those who left

Lekota blamed his former deputy, Mbhazima Shilowa, for registering the organisation as a company, but said he was shocked that the registration had not been cancelled years ago.

“It was that group, but we defeated and even eliminated them. Cope was never a trading company, but some elements wanted to sabotage the thing. We registered the party with the IEC.”

He did not directly respond to questions about the financial status of the organisation or allegations that he was failing in his responsibilities. 

“Why should I tell you all of these things at this point? Chief, please, I do not know where you got the information.”

Lekota also did not respond to questions about when Cope would convene its congress to elect new leaders for the 2024 general elections. DM