COPE 'is coming'

So sang the delegates

The 4000 delegates to the inaugural congress of the Congress of the People (COPE) sang and clapped joyfully during the opening of the congress.

I listened attentively to hear if they will sing mshini wam (bring my machine gun) or boo the speakers as they addressed them. It seems the ANC never planted a group of noise makers to disrupt Terror Lekota as he spoke.

The Congress of the People (COPE) is indeed here. Fresh from a high court victory on Friday to use the name Congress of the People, the delegates sang iyezi COPE! (COPE is coming)

The interim chairperson, Mosiuoa Terror Lekota, spoke freely about "our forebears in Presidents, Mandela and Mbeki." This was a bold statement to show that the ANC does not own Mandela or other leaders who led the liberation struggle.

Maybe the ANC ought to begin now to patent Nelson Mandela and other struggle heroes' names before COPE 'steals' their legacy. We must remember that history, liberation, the Freedom Charter, June 16 and everything else is supposed to belong to the ANC.

Lekota also spoke about the fear that people were subjected to if they joined COPE, the disruption of COPE meetings, the attack on the judiciary, and how the members of the press "are under constant pressure to give special attention to approved news items and ignore some..."

These are genuine concerns that society needs to talk about openly without fear of intimidation. So COPE is in a way giving hope to those who are afraid to voice their opinions freely because of the events of the recent past.

After this inaugural congress, when the dust has settled, it will be up to the voters to decide as to who becomes the next government.