If it is true that the Congress of the People (COPE) already has 40,000 members before it has even gotten off the ground (with the caveat being that these numbers come from COPE's own people) , the ANC might need to start worrying at least a little bit. The ANC has name recognition, serious historical heft, and already controls government at nearly all levels, giving it tremendous sway. And so far, we have little idea what COPE stands for, though for years the divisions within the ANC have had little to do with what anyone represented in terms of policy or program. Nonetheless, the new party seems on the verge of becoming if not a juggernaut, at least a potentially legitimate opposition party, something South Africa has not seen for a long, long time.
