The Presidency and the DA are engaged in a public spat over the status of Mcebisi Jonas as President Cyril Ramaphosa's special envoy to the US.
This after the Presidency called the DA out for suggesting that Jonas had not started his duties since his appointment earlier this year as the US had rejected his credentials and denied him a visa.
Amid clearly heightened tension between Ramaphosa and his government of national unity partners over the axing of the DA's deputy minister Andrew Whitfield last month, the Presidency accused the DA of "positioning itself as part of a ring-wing nexus", saying the party was on a mission to undermine not only Ramaphosa but the country.
"The Presidency is therefore concerned about the DA's persistent campaign against South Africa’s national interest and its posture of trying to embarrass and belittle our country and in this specific circumstance Mr Jonas," said Ramaphosa through his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
"This campaign has its origins in a DA visit to the US earlier this year to advance an ideological agenda rather than our national interest. The DA has positioned itself as part of a right-wing nexus that seeks to use a foreign state to effect changes to democratically developed national policies in our own country."
Magwenya said the DA was using Jonas' matter as a political football in an attempt to fight back against the axing of Whitfield last month.
"The DA is trying cheaply but dangerously to exploit a critical engagement between South Africa and the US to protest against President Ramaphosa’s removal of Mr Andrew Whitfield as deputy minister of trade, industry and competition," said Magwenya.
The public spat between the Presidency and the DA came after the DA's Emma Powell in a statement on Tuesday said her party can reveal that Ramaphosa has been mum on Jonas' status as his special envoy despite being made aware that he was not welcome in Washington.
She claimed that President Donald Trump's administration had "formally rejected" Jonas' credentials and had informed Ramaphosa that he would not be allowed to act as South Africa's interlocutor in the US.
But the Presidency blasted the DA in a strongly worded statement saying the party was being economical with the truth as Jonas did not require a diplomatic visa to do his work and that the DA was adding sensation to its claims, spreading disinformation and that it had sought to publicly humiliate Jonas.
"The facts around this matter include the reality that special envoys do not present diplomatic credentials to host countries in the way designated heads of mission or other diplomats do," said Ramaphosa through Magwenya.
"While envoys are not required to account publicly for the work they undertake, the president’s own accounts of his performance include elements facilitated by envoys."
According to Magwenya, Jonas has not travelled to the US since his appointment as there had been no specific issue that required his presence in Washington, especially because Ramaphosa had visited Trump at the White House and the two leaders have held a telephonic conversation since that visit.
Jonas was visibly absent when Ramaphosa and his entourage were at the White House in May despite his much publicised appointment a month earlier.
It raised questions about whether the US had taken issue with his previous comment about Trump and had actually denied him entry to the country.
Magwenya sought to dismiss this concern saying Jonas' role did not supercede the role being played by the department of international relations and co-operation and DTIC in easing tensions and discussing trade relations between the two countries.
"Mr Jonas has, however, played an important role in working with the DTIC to develop the trade proposals in which South Africa is currently engaging the US in good faith and with the expectation of mutually beneficial terms," said Magwenya.
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