President Jacob Zuma has postponed his scheduled appearance in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) from September 8 to late October, the African National Congress (ANC) chief whip's office has said.

A SMS sent to all party whips on Monday said Zuma had written to the ANC chief whip in the NCOP, Hunadi Mateme, requesting that his appearance be postponed to October.

A second SMS, which News24 has seen, confirmed that the new date for the president’s question session had been set down for October 25.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Tuesday said it acknowledged that the president’s postponement was probably due to international commitments, but that Zuma's timing was too convenient given the multiple crises facing various institutions in the country.

"This conveniently timed rescheduling only bolsters the DA’s contention that he is trying all manner of ways to avoid interrogation on the controversial issues that have outraged South Africans," the party's NCOP chief whip Cathlene Labuschagne said.

"These include the crises at our SOEs and State agencies and a proxy war that has left much economic uncertainty."

Labuschagne said she would be writing to NCOP chairperson Thandi Modise to disclose the reasons in full for the postponement.

Presidential spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga could not be immediately reached for comment.