Congress of the People (COPE) has shown City of Joburg council speaker Colleen Makhubele the door. This was after she allegedly signed the party into a coalition with the South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA) without their knowledge. The party said that they would have to put a candidate to replace her.

During a media briefing in Kempton Park, Makhubele was labelled a liar with claims that although the party had considered joining SARA, they had not consented to be signed into the alliance. Makhubele is used as the face of SARA and this has angered COPE members more. which they say gave the impression that she has led the party to join SARA ahead of next year's general elections. Another councillor from Tshwane Ofentse Moalusi also belonging to COPE has been booted out for allegedly serving as a chairperson of SARA. The leader of the party Mosiuoa Lekota said though they they are considering forming part of the alliance, Makhubele was not given the go-ahead to sign up COPE.

COPE secretary-general Eric Mohlapamaswi, said that Makhubele broke their party's code of conduct. "A councillor in the Johannesburg municipality has her name on the posters. As such, she has terminated her own membership. Correspondents are on their way to the former comrades because we have formally terminated their membership ever since they joined SARA," Mohlapamaswi said, adding that another councillor in Tshwane who is calling himself the chairperson of SARA also had his membership terminated. "The constitution of the Congress of the People section 19.3 takes effect, meaning that there is the termination of the member of the councillor who is in Tshwane." In June, COPE fired its deputy president and Member of Parliament Willie Madisha, during a meeting held by the faction loyal to party president Mosiuoa Lekota. Meanwhile, its national spokesperson, Dennis Bloom, resigned from the organisation in August.