The African National Congress (ANC) continues to suffer high-profile defections to the Congress of the People (COPE) in the run-up to April’s elections in South Africa. Former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and prominent businessman, Robben Island veteran, and former parliamentarian Saki Macozoma have joined the Congress of the People. So too has the ANC’s Limpopo premier and member of the provincial legislature Sello Moloto. COPE plans to utilize not only the legitimacy these high-profile converts bring but also their experience in politics and government.
It is possible that we have seen the largest wave of defections, or at least the largest defection among those with any political ambitions for 2009. The deadline for submitting candidate lists to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has passed, with the three largest parties (the ANC, COPE, and the Democratic Alliance) having met it successfully.
Let the campaigns begin.