THE DA on Sunday said it will submit a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to demand a breakdown of the costs of Deputy President David Mabuza’s trips to Russia.
DA shadow minister for the Presidency Solly Malatsi said now that Mabuza is back and in good health, he and his ffice should provide transparency on the details of his trip to Russia.
The DA is questioning the deputy president statement in which he claimed to have paid for the trips himself, therefore, the party is now requesting “receipts and proof” for the trips.
“The Office of the Deputy President indicated that the recent trip by Mabuza was paid for by himself. In the interest of openness and transparency the Deputy President must provide receipts and proof that he paid out of his own pocket for this trip. Given the ANC government’s love for luxury on the taxpayer’s account, we can’t just merely take his word for it,” said Solly Malatsi.
While Mabuza is entitled to his privacy regarding his medical condition, the cost involved is very much in the public’s concern. Especially if there’s a possibility that it may have been funded by them.”
Malatsi said the DA won’t just “merely take” the deputy president word for it, “given the ANC government’s love for luxury on the taxpayer’s account.
Malatsi said Mabuza is entitled to his privacy, however, the cost “is very much the public’s concern”.
“If there is nothing to hide, the Deputy President would share the details of his trip without hesitation. The public should know how much has been spent on Mabuza’s Russia trips and whether it has been on the account of the taxpayer,” said Malatsi.
“We trust that the Presidency will heed to the DA’s PAIA application in the interest of openness and transparency.”
Malatsi also questioned Mabuza’s previous trips to Russia in 2015 and 2018, saying there has “been very little transparency over the years”.
- In 2015, Mabuza travelled to Russia for medical treatment after he was allegedly poisoned
- Mabuza also travelled to Russia in 2018, again for medical treatment
In 2018, Mabuza at a National Council of Provinces for a question-and-answer session said he was “too ill to recall” who accompanied him on the trip. He said he was “on very high pain medication.”
At the time, Mabuza claimed to have been poisoned and former President Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane offered to take him to a Russian state hospital aboard a Gupta jet.
He said he prefers treatment from Russian doctors as “they’ve got medical history of my illness, so it’s only appropriate to go to people who know what went wrong with my body. This does not mean that I don’t have confidence in our facilities.”
Meanwhile, senior leaders of the ANC are said to be debating whether Deputy President David Mabuza is medically fit to remain in office, according to the Sunday Times.
It is understood that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) discussed Mabuza’s prolonged absence once he returned to South Africa following treatment in Russia for an unspecified ailment, the newspaper reported.
- Own Correspondent
