Congress of the People (Cope) leader, Mosiuoa Lekota spoke to IOL on Wednesday at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. Picture: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL
Despite the 2024 national and provincial elections being unpredictable, Congress of the People (Cope) leader Mosiuoa Lekota is confident that his party will survive.
"I think Cope will come back, and will rise to the occasion as we move into the future," he said. He said Cope will go back to Parliament.
Lekota could not comment on which political party will be voted into power because of the number of political parties contesting the elections, including the Independent candidates who are also on the ballot.
"I don't know what the outcomes are going to be, there are very many political parties," he said, adding that people, particularly Cope voters should vote for greener pastures.
Another reason for him not to comment was that he had to chew his hat after swearing that his party would win the elections in 2014.
"I don't want to make predictions because at some point in the course of our struggle, I had predicted that Cope would win the elections and even promised to eat my hat if that did not come to pass. After those elections, I humbly had to chew my hat because I had missed the judgement of the time," he said.
He spoke to IOL on Wednesday at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand. This is as South Africans across the country are casting their votes.
On the African National Congress (ANC) retaining power, Lekota said "predictions are there, but I don't want to predict anything because I don't want to be counted among those who prophesied and it became a false prophecy’.
Earlier n Wednesday while casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC will “definitely” win the elections.
He said he was happy with how his party has made progress so far.
kamogelo.mocichela@iol.co.za
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