"Once upon a time there was an organisation of liberation which had a dream, this organisation was committed to non-racialism, non-sexism and a democratic and prosperous country and it’s leaders were prepared to die for that dream," said Smuts Ngonyama, the Congress of The People (Cope) head of policy and member of parliament.
"Once upon a time there was an organisation of liberation which had a dream, this organisation was committed to non-racialism, non-sexism and a democratic and prosperous country and it’s leaders were prepared to die for that dream," said Smuts Ngonyama, the Congress of The People (Cope) head of policy and member of parliament.
He was commenting on how the ANC has changed during the launch of the Rhodes University branch of the Congress of the People Student Movement (CopeSM) at Rhodes University Great Lecture Hall on Saturday.
The launch was attended by CopeSM delegates from institutions of higher learning in the Eastern Cape. In his address Ngonyama said that some ANC members wanted to destroy the dream of freedom of icons such as Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela and Chris Hani "but others decided to stand up and defend this dream and left to form Cope".
He called on the students and the youth to perform at their best in terms of discipline, leadership, loyalty, and bravery.
He also praised the students who had joined Cope despite threats, insults and intimidation from people who were not in favour of Cope’s breakway from the ANC.
Ngonyama was joined by the Cope Youth Movement’s deputy general secretary, Sthembiso Khanyile who told delegates that they were not forming the student movement only to participate in the Student Representative Council elections but to find out why students had lost faith in existing student political organisations and help define the kind of education system that they need.
Before Ngonyama arrived Cope members sang a song called "yiCOPE le ayina shower, ayina mshini" (Cope does not have a shower and a machine gun), in reference to the statement by ANC president Jacob Zuma that he took a shower to minimise the risk of contracting HIV/Aids after he slept with an HIV-positive woman in 2005, and in reference to the president’s trademark song "Awuleth’ umshiniwam" (Bring my machine gun).
The CopeSM chairperson at Rhodes University, Bongani Hoho, said they had invited branches of the student movement from other universities in the province to exchange ideas and establish working relations.
"The process to launch CopeSM here on campus was started in 2008 when we saw the need to establish a student movement for Cope supporters and to ensure that students become politically active."
He said that even though their organisation was new they managed to have one of their members, George Kahn, elected to serve on the Rhodes University SRC.
