WATCH: Deputy president’s Russia trip probed

South Africans have the right to know where Deputy President David Mabuza is and why he sought medical treatment in Russia.

This is the opinion of political commentator and parliamentary reporter Jan-Jan Joubert, who says because Mabuza’s salary is paid with taxpayers’ money, the nation is owed an explanation.

WATCH: Jan-Jan Joubert gives journalist Izak du Plessis his opinions on Mabuza’s absence.

At the time of publication, there were conflicting reports about his return to South Africa, including that Mabuza will be back in the country only once cleared by his medical team and that he was scheduled back today (Wednesday).

Mabuza’s long absence – which coincided with last month’s public unrest – led to Solly Malatsi, DA Shadow Minister in the Presidency, writing a letter to Deputy Speaker of Parliament Lechesa Tsenoli, asking for a detailed report on the whereabouts of the deputy president.

“The Presidency announced on June 26 that Mabuza requested a few days leave to visit Russia for a medical consultation,” says Joubert.

“But it has been over a month now, and Mabuza seems to still be galivanting in Russia on taxpayers’ money.”

Joubert says this raises questions on Mabuza’s ability to do his job.

“If you take into account that he is chairing the Inter-ministerial Committee on Vaccines, Cabinet’s special committee on Eskom and that he is the leader of government business, this is a fair question,” says Joubert.

Both the DA and Joubert acknowledge that Mabuza is entitled to his privacy when it comes to health issues, but Joubert says it is highly peculiar that he would travel to Russia to seek medical assistance when he can receive world-class treatment in South Africa.

“The deputy president received medical treatment in Russia at least twice previously, in 2015 and 2018. This could, as we have seen previously, come at a huge cost to South African taxpayers,” Joubert says.

According to the DA, Mabuza must come clean with South Africans and give the real reason for his mysterious trips to Russia.

“Is this trip really for medical reasons or is it a sneaky way to mend a relationship with the Russian President after the failed nuclear deal?” Malatsi asked in a June media statement.

Joubert says that Mabuza’s disappearance at the time of the violent protests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng is peculiar, on a political level.

“The deputy president is not very active in his role and he voiced his concerns over this previously. I just hope for the sake of President Cyril Ramaphosa that he is not sidelining Mabuza deliberately, because the protests showed that Ramaphosa’s support base in some crucial places, like KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, is not that strong,” says Joubert.

“Ramaphosa should keep in mind that he is the president directly as a result of Mabuza’s turnaround in 2017 at the ANC’s national election conference,” Joubert says.

Mabuza convinced the ANC in Mpumalanga to support Ramaphosa instead of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was 239 votes short of the projected 2 500 votes, costing her the party presidency, says Joubert.

According to Joubert, Mabuza’s nifty footwork at the time should not be forgotten by Ramaphosa, as it could cost him dearly.

At the time of publication, Malatsi confirmed that the DA had yet to receive a response to its letter.