By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Deputy President David Mabuza is off to Russia for medical treatment after he took a leave of absence.
In a statement released on Saturday, Mabuza’s absence is for a “medical consultation” in Russia.
“During this time, the Deputy President will undertake a visit to the Russian Federation for a scheduled medical consultation. This consultation is a follow-up to previous medical consultations that the Deputy President received from the Russian Federation.
“The Deputy President will continue with the responsibilities that have been entrusted to him upon the end of the leave period,” the statement read.
Mabuza has been to Russia before for his condition, a few years ago.
Mabuza last public engagement was on 15 June, where he admitted that the vaccination programme had faced several snags in its rollout, but said negotiations with manufacturers of Russia’s Sputnik V and China’s Sinovac vaccines were at an advanced stage.
He was responding to questions from delegates of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) during a virtual plenary sitting.