COPE pledges to honour Mosiuoa Lekota’s legacy after funeral

Following the passing of its founder and leader, Mosiuoa Lekota, the COPE party said that it now wants to ensure that his legacy lives on.

Lekota was laid to rest in Bloemfontein on Saturday, just over a week after he passed away following a prolonged illness.

While the party, which once garnered about 1.3 million votes in the 2009 election, no longer has representation in Parliament, it says it must work to improve its electoral performance.

Speaking at Lekota’s funeral on Saturday, COPE interim leader Teboho Loate emphasised that Lekota was a principled leader.

"He was a principled individual, very opposed to corruption and maladministration. A patriotic leader who believed in what is right, even though it was difficult or unpopular. To him, it did not matter whether that came at a great cost."

He said that Lekota was a man of his word.

"He lived by the ideals that should shape our nation. He deeply believed in non-racialism, a united and just sovereign."