President Cyril Ramaphosa pulled the plug on state security minister Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba's trip to Saudi Arabia after questions from the Sunday Times about her planned visit to the kingdom.
On Friday, Letsatsi-Duba's spokesperson, Lebohang Mafokosi, confirmed that the minister would be travelling to Riyadh to meet the head of Saudi intelligence, Khalid bin Ali al Humaidan, to discuss "issues of mutual interest".
She also planned to attend a showcase investment conference that has been shunned by a host of Western leaders in the past week as outrage grew over the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly by Saudi intelligence operatives.
However, when the Sunday Times asked Ramaphosa's office why he was sending the minister, given the international outcry over Khashoggi's death, the president instructed her to pull out of the trip.
The Sunday Times understands that Ramaphosa became aware of Letsatsi-Duba's intention to travel to Riyadh only after receiving questions from the newspaper.
Yesterday afternoon Letsatsi-Duba's spokesperson, Mafokosi, said: "The minister will no longer be travelling to Saudi Arabia due to pressing issues in the country that require her urgent attention."
Critics had described Letsatsi-Duba's planned trip as Pretoria's attempt to nurse its relations with the kingdom to avoid a falling out that could lead to the Middle Eastern superpower withdrawing its recent pledges to invest in SA.
Ramaphosa's administration has been seen as close to the autocratic regime since high-level talks between him and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Jeddah in July.
On that trip, the Saudis pledged $10bn (R140bn) in response to Ramaphosa's drive to secure foreign direct investment in SA.
Before Letsatsi-Duba's trip was called off, the director of the Afro-Middle East Centre, Na'eem Jeenah, said SA was wary of jeopardising its relationship with Saudi Arabia because of the amount of trade between the two countries.
"They buy lots of weapons from SA. They also promised $10bn in investment. So SA doesn't want to jeopardise that relationship."
Jeenah said he doubts SA has the muscle to try to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi's death.
"At best we would ask for an explanation and note their version."..