BILLS are mounting for embattled COPE, which will challenge an order that its property be attached and auctioned today to pay its lawyers, who claim the party owes them R2.5-million.
COPE will this morning bring an urgent application before the Johannesburg High Court to challenge a ruling of June 22 that the party pay law firm Ngcebetsha Madlanga in respect of two bills of R958,882 and R244,112.
The law firm was granted a court order last month permitting it to attach and auction COPE’s movable assets in Braamfontein to recover about R1.2-million of the outstanding amount
The law firm, co-owned by John Ngcebetsha, a former COPE member who returned to the ANC, was granted a default judgment on July 15 and COPE was ordered to pay the money.
The bill for R958,882 relates to a case in which Ngcebetsha represented the COPE faction led by Mbhazima Shilowa and Lorraine Mashiane against party president Mosioua Lekota.
The second claim is for an urgent application to the Johannesburg High Court made by Lekota and acting COPE’s secretary-general, Deidre Carter, against the Shilowa faction on July 8 last year, for R244112.
Carter said yesterday that the party would challenge the court’s default judgment, and the party denies that the law firm was instructed by it.
Now there is a dispute as to which faction Ngcebetsha represented. Shilowa faction spokesman Sipho Ngwema said they were not aware of the case as it involved the Lekota faction.
Source: The Times
Publisher: I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge