A party that raised issues of leadership above those of policy and organisation was on a slippery slope, Cope's interim deputy chairperson Mbhazima Shilowa said on Sunday.

He was speaking at a media briefing on the first day of the party's founding conference in Bloemfontein.

Asked how much say delegates would have in choosing their permanent leaders when the issue comes up in Monday's session, he said the conference as a whole would adopt a party constitution and decide how it was going to look at issues of leadership.

"But we are very clear that that's not really what this conference is going to be about," he said.

"This conference is about answering the question, who is Cope? What is it about? What does it stand for? What are its policies? What [is] its ideology?

"That's what the debate and the issues are going to be about."

Conference to decide party leadership

He said the delegates had come to Bloemfontein to build an organisation and "we will leave with an organisation".

"We have a history that says if you elevate matters of leadership above those of organisation and those of policy, you are on a slippery road, and we are not about to make that mistake again."

Asked whether the interim leadership had reached consensus on who it believed should be the party leader, he replied only that the conference would decide on that matter.

Acting party chairperson Terror Lekota said he had noticed some of the media had been led to believe that he and Shilowa were "at war with each other" over the leadership.

"But actually, we are thrilled. We enjoy this, because our opponents think that they are clever. We see beyond what they are trying to do."

Sapa