The Congress of the People (COPE) is the first serious electoral challenge the ANC has faced since the end of Apartheid. It is widely held that a plurality in the South African political system is desirable, that there is a need for a viable challenger to ANC’s political dominance and this is the space that COPE is expected to fill.

The key figures in COPE are party leader Mosiuoa ‘Terror’ Lekota and presidential candidate Mvume Dandala. They have been concerns that the two are not necessarily seeing eye to eye. In particular there are concerns that Lekota maybe miffed about losing out on the Presidential nomination and not throwing his weight behind Dandala.

However both men put up a show of unity at a recent COPE rally in Klerksdorp. Both Lekota and Dandala shared the platform, with Lekota claiming he had travelled “through the night” to be there. At the rally Lekota denied any rift with Dandala declaring "Our roads, our paths have never clashed. They have always been in the same direction, to the service of the people, always for the people,".

During the speech Dandala looked on appreciatively and embraced Lekota afterwards. Is the rift over? Too hard to say, maybe both men are working to the maxim that there are no permanent friends in politics, only permanent interests. For the moment at least their interests seem to coincide.