Lekota became a permanent organiser for SASO in 1974, but
was imprisoned at
Robben Island Prison for "conspiring to commit acts endangering the maintenance of law and order" during the same year. He had organised victory rallies to celebrate the independence of Mozambique. He was released from prison in 1982. After his release, he was elected publicity secretary of the
United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1983. In 1985, Lekota was detained and later sentenced in the
Delmas Treason Trial. However, he was released in 1989 after the
Appeal Court reviewed the sentence.
Announcement of new party On 8 October 2008, Lekota announced that the faction of the party that was loyal to Mbeki would serve "divorce papers", indicating a secession from the ANC and the creation of a new political party. This was duly carried out, making it the first mass schism from the ANC since the creation of the
Pan Africanist Congress of Azania in 1959 during the apartheid period. The announcement was both rejected and played down by leaders of the ANC, with heavy derision coming from the
South African Communist Party. However, the announcement of a new party for disaffected members of the ANC was welcomed by opposition party leaders, including
Helen Zille of the
Democratic Alliance and
Bantu Holomisa of the
United Democratic Movement. On 14 October, the ANC suspended both Lekota's and
Mluleki George's memberships. After a further bout of legal squabbling with the ANC, it was decided that the new party be named the
Congress of the People (COPE).
Leader of the Congress of the People On 16 December 2008, Lekota announced his candidacy for the leadership of COPE: being the only candidate, he was elected without a vote and announced as the first President of COPE at the convention. His deputies,
Mbhazima Shilowa and
Lynda Odendaal, were also announced. On 20 February 2009, Lekota lost the battle for his party's presidential candidacy to the former presiding bishop of the
Methodist Church of Southern Africa,
Mvume Dandala. Media reports suggested that Lekota had failed to endorse Dandala, and that party deputy leader Shilowa had played a key role in elevating Dandala over Lekota. Lekota's defeat in the leadership race was described as "a humiliating defeat [to a] political novice" by the influential
Mail & Guardian newspaper. Although, for some time subsequent to Dandala's victory, Lekota kept mum on the matter, on 5 February 2009, on his
Facebook page, he spoke out, urging supporters of the new movement: We should also not be distracted now by who serves in the interim leadership, because ultimately the people's voice will be heard. They will vote for their leaders, and everyone else will apply for a job and be interviewed to obtain any position. A week prior to the election, speculation mounted that Lekota was set on repairing back to the ANC, as numerous other COPE defectors already had, but he clarified his stance in emphatic terms for
The Sunday Times: There is no way I can return to the company of men and women who are dead set on destroying the constitutional democracy which I gave most of my life to creating. I will go to the grave a member of the Congress of the People. On the same day, ANC treasurer-general
Mathews Phosa denied allegations that the ANC had been attempting to entice Lekota back: "Officially, I'm not aware of anyone who has been sent to Terror to ask him to come back. We have never sent people to approach him." Lekota, for his part, alleged that rumours of a reunion with the ANC, bolstered by a reported SMS and his supposed unhappiness with COPE's internal structures, were fuelled by the ANC in its devious bid to derail its campaign. He had not, he said, held any of the meetings he was alleged to have had with his former party. At 02:09 on the morning of Election Day, 22 April, Lekota issued a none-too-subtle jibe at
Jacob Zuma. "Do not kill this country for one man," he urged his
Facebook supporters, making ill-veiled reference to the promises of
ANC Youth League leader
Julius Malema to take up arms and murder for the ANC President. "Vote for hope, Vote COPE". Later, having cast his ballot, he announced: my voteis not a secret. I voted for change, unity, anti corrupt government, better service delivery and hope for all. Do like wise . Vote COPE! His son Prince did not follow in his father's footsteps, however, voting openly for the ANC. Lekota did not take up a seat in Parliament after the election; instead, COPE decided that he should concentrate on organizing and building the party, together with Secretary-General
Charlotte Lobe. Due to infighting in the party, COPE suffered multiple defections in the run-up to the
2014 general elections. The party won only three seats in the National Assembly at the election, down from the 30 it had won in 2009. The party's support declined further in the
2019 general elections when it won only two seats in the National Assembly. COPE lost its parliamentary representation in the
2024 general election. ==Personal life and death==