COPE

About the party

The Congress of the People (COPE) was officially launched on December 16, 2008, when senior leaders of the ANC pulled away from the party to protest the recalling of President Thabo Mbeki. Despite its initial success in the 2009 national and provincial election, COPE suffered a decade of sharp decline across consecutive local government elections, In its debut local poll of 2011, the party emerged as the fourth-largest party nationally, acting as a kingmaker in several municipalities, including a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Bitou. Despite a significant drop in support by 2016 due to leadership splits, DA-led multi-party coalitions allowed COPE to co-govern key metros like Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Nelson Mandela Bay. However, the 2021 elections side-lined the party completely, reducing it to just 13 council seats nationwide, often limited to single, isolated PR seats in scattered municipalities like Khai-Ma.