WHERE is Mcebisi Jonas?
The former deputy finance minister was appointed as South Africa's Special Envoy to the US.
Yet, more than 90 days after President Cyril Ramaphosa tasked him with advancing the country's diplomatic, trade, and bilateral priorities, he remains silent.
The DA has questioned Jonas' role, considering the tariff hikes recently announced by US President Donald Trump.
"With just over two weeks to go before the 30% tariffs come into effect on 1 August, industries that support hundreds of thousands of jobs, from citrus to automotives, remain on a knife's edge," said party spokeswoman on International Relations and Cooperation Emma Louise Powell.
She announced that the DA will soon file a Promotion of Access to Information (Paia) application to compel the Presidency to reveal full details of Jonas' government-sponsored activities over the past three months.
He was appointed on the back of Ambassador Ibrahim Rasool's expulsion and was touted as a critical intervention to stave off the impending collapse of vital export industries under punitive liberation day tariffs.
"He will lead negotiations, foster strategic partnerships and engage with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote our nation's interests," said Ramaphosa at the time.
Powell said while former trade deputy minister Andrew Whitfield and the DA MP was fired from cabinet for taking the initiative to travel to the US in a bid to rebuild bilateral trust, Ramaphosa's Special Envoy is nowhere to be seen.
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She said South Africans must now ask exactly what motivated Jonas' appointment as the President's Special Envoy, and whether his business interests put him entirely at odds with this mandate.
Currently, Jonas serves as chairman of the MTN Group.
Powell pointed out that MTN is embroiled in serious legal action in US courts under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The primary lawsuit alleges that the group violated anti-terrorism laws by providing support to militant groups in Afghanistan, including the Taliban.
It is further alleged that MTN offered kickbacks to South African government officials and diplomats to secure support for its Irancell deal.
"In light of these grave concerns, the DA calls on the President to urgently provide full details of all engagements, negotiations, and interventions Mr Jonas has taken in an effort to stabilise bilateral relations and safeguard trade between South Africa and the US," she said.
City Press reported over the weekend that Trump's administration has given Jonas a "cold shoulder".
This follows him missing in action when Ramaphosa and his delegation visited the White House in May.
The Presidency said he had contributed to preparatory engagements before the Ramaphosa-Trump meeting, "including consultations abroad".
Some have attributed the situation to his 2020 speech during the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Annual Lecture, where he described Trump as a "racist, homophobic, narcissistic right-winger" who was leading the world's greatest economic and military power at the time.
"If Mr Jonas is unable to perform his functions as designated by the President, he must urgently be replaced by a suitably qualified interlocutor, whose business interests do not pose a grave conflict of interest," added Powell.
