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Nelson Mandela

JOHANNESBURG. – Former South African National Defence Force Surgeon General Doctor Vejay Ramlakan, author of the controversial book Mandela’s Last Years, could face charges from the SANDF and the Health Professions Council (HPC).

Retired Constitutional Court Justice Dikgang Moseneke, who is also one of the executors of Madiba’s estate, says Ramlakan’s book describing Mandela’s final years is both legally and ethically unacceptable.

The publisher announced yesterday that it had withdrawn the book from circulation out of respect for Mandela’s family.

However, the executors of Mandela’s estate say more action needs to be taken.

“(The) obvious thing to do is to have this matter reported . . . to the Medical Professional Council who must inquire into the conduct of Mr Ramlakan . . . remember when he looked after our deceased president, he was acting as a member of the SANDF and he wasn’t just a private doctor, he was an employee and should be held to account by the SANDF . . . and that is precisely what we will be doing as executors . . . hold to account for disclosures of details of Mandela state of health and the treatment administered in those circumstances . . . all of those details are plainly matters of confidentiality between a doctor and patient . . . and true of Mandela and Ramluckan,” says Moseneke.

In a statement issued on Monday, the executors said they believe much of the contents of the book are “deeply regrettable and unfortunate and constitute unlawful disclosures.”

They say Madiba’s widow, Graça Machel’s permission was not sought prior to publication, and neither was theirs. Machel threatened legal action when the book was published, and the executors say they will seek urgent advise on what legal recourse is open to her. However, the former SANDF Surgeon General recounted to eNCA at the weekend that, “The story of Madiba’s last years is actually, in a sense, more impressive than when he was a fit human being. Because of the strength and determination, the unconquerable fortitude, the approach he had to his mortality was fascinating.”

“When we were faced with this, we were simply marvelling at how possible it was for a human being to go through what he went through . . . with clinical conditions that would have failed people half of his age. He survived them.

“He would be almost gone and then a couple of hours later, watching TV, watching a boxing match, watching a comment on some boxing style or the other. So that was him, that was fascinating. It was, it was really gripping.”

Ramlakan refused to disclose the name of Mandela family members who gave him permission to publish his book.

He said, “I would not like to disclose the dynamics of the family and who requested us. I think it is irrelevant. We have said that we received permission from the family.”

When asked whether Mandela’s widow, Graça Machel, had been consulted in the writing of the book, Ramlakan refused to be drawn into the issue.

He said, “Let me say all parties who needed to be consulted were consulted, all from a point of view of publishing, and (we got) advice from publishers, lawyers as well.”

Ramlakan also maintained that it was Winnie Madikizela-Mandela who spent several hours with Mandela before his death, and that Graca Machel was not there. – eNCA/HR.