The war between Lekota and Shilowa forced the Congress Working Committee emergency meeting last night to cancel the May 29 Cope conference altogether. Speaking at an emergency press briefing at noon today the party’s embattled secretary-general, Charlotte Lobe, said: “We can’t go to conference in this state. These guys must sort themselves before we go to any conference lest we experience Polokwane 2 and experience another spilt of this movement.”
Meanwhile Smuts Ngonyama has reportedly resigned over the failure to convene the Cope policy conference, stating huge commitments at the Thabo Mbeki Foundation and Elephant Consortium. After much consultation and considering Lindiwe Sisulu’s advice to “go back to church”, Dandala has requested a sabbatical to consider his future. He was seen last week at a meeting of ministers in Khayelitsha, where he was reportedly preparing Methodist ministers for Easter services in what many believe is a trial run for his imminent return to the church.
Cope staff this week will face a wonderful Easter after Cope’s treasurers unilaterally increased their salaries following revelations last week that most of Cope’s debts had been paid. Finally, in a twist of irony, it has been leaked by the Mail & Guardian that former Cope deputy president Lynda Ordenadal has been deployed by Cope to spy on the ANC and there is panic in the ANC that since her arrival, elections documents have been disappearing in drips and drabs and one ANC insider has confessed that “she has shown a suspiciously high appetite to be in strategic committees”.
Issued by JJ Tabane, Ex-Cope Spokesperson Geleshewe Kimberly.
Onkgopotse JJ Tabane is Chief Executive of Oresego Holdings - International Business Advisors. He is an accredited Associate of the Institute for Independent Business International (iib). He writes here in his personal capacity.
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Onkgopotse JJ Tabane is a Media and Communications Specialist who has become a public commentator on a wide range of socio political issues over the last decade.
He has cut his teeth in both Government and Private Sector as a top communicator winning awards such as the Government Communicator of the year in 2002 and holding senior positions such as Ministerial Spokesperson for various ministers, Head of Ministry of Environmental Affairs, Communications Advisor to the Chamber of Mines Communications Vice President and General Manager at South African Airways as well as Chief Executive of Graphicor and Simeka Communications. He has also held a senior corporate affairs Job at Top Electonic Company Altron where he was in Charge of the company’s Transformation Programme and Corporate Social Investment.
When COPE was formed in 2008 Tabane quit his Corporate Job to Join COPE as their Head of Communications leading up to the 2009 General election. Until July 2010 Today amongst his many activities he was the Political Advisor to Former COPE Parliamentary Leader Dr Mvume Dandala and occasional contributor to many publications. He has also served on various boards of directors including as a member of the Gauteng Tourism Authority, Johannesburg Tourism Authority and until recently chaired the board of the Indalo Yethu Environmental Campaign.
He is still a member of the Northwest University Council where he is serving his second term. JJ Tabane is widely known for his forthright manner of debate and fearless tackling of public commentary since his student days where he was SRC President and Vice President at the Universities of the North and Western Cape where he qualified in Law and Politics. He holds a BA,( UNIN), BPROC (UWC) and Masters in Political Economy (NMMU).
He is married to Lorraine Ditshedi Tabane and has two children, Oreabetse (4) and Resego (12) after whom he has named his newly launched International Advisory Business Oresego Holdings.
Onkgopotse JJ Tabane is Chief Executive of Oresego Holdings - International Business Advisors. He is an accredited Associate of the Institute for Independent Business International (iib). He writes here...
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