Mandla backing for plan to sue doctor
NKOSI Mandla Mandela has come out in support of Former First Lady Graca Machel who plans to sue the author of the recently released book Mandela’s Last Years, former Surgeon General Dr Vijay Ramlakan.
In a statement yesterday Nkosi Mandela said they wished to express their unequivocal support for Machel in her quest to take legal action against Ramlakan.
Ramlakan‚ who was Madiba’s doctor for nearly a decade‚ published the book Mandela’s Last Years last Monday.
In the statement, the grandson to the former statesman said they were aggrieved as a family that the privilege of administering to the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela afforded to the doctor appeared to have been abused.
“We believe that it is not unreasonable to expect that the sensitivities entrusted to him by the family and those entrusted as custodians of Nkosi Dalibhunga’s legacy should not be compromised, or used in any manner that may be interpreted as for gain, or which does a disservice to the legacy and the sanctity of uTatomkhulu’s final moments,” said Mandela.
He said they were deeply disappointed that the doctor appears to have compromised himself and the man whom he had the privilege to serve.
“We want to caution that this is not the first apparent abuse of the Mandela name and legacy and call on all to respect the wishes and proprietary rights vested by none other than President Mandela himself,” he said.
Machel said in a statement last Friday: “I condemn Vejay Raml book Mandela’s Last Years in the strongest terms. It is an affront to, and an assault on, the trust and dignity of my late husband‚ President Nelson Mandela. It breaches the doctor–patient relationship of confidentiality and I am taking legal advice on whether to institute legal proceedings against the author and its publisher.”
Machel added that she would be consulting the executors of Mandela’s will “on how best to protect Madiba’s good name and reputation”.
Mandela said they wanted to assure Mamu Nosizwe (Machel) that she was not alone in taking offence at the apparent violation of Nkosi Dalibhunga’s privacy and that, “we believe that the sentiments that she has expressed find echoes in the hearts of all who love and revered the father of our nation”.
The Department of Defence has also distanced itself from the controversial book.
In a statement on Saturday‚ Defence spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini said the department noted and completely distances itself from the views expounded in the book.
Dlamini said the department wished to explicitly state that all views expressed in the book were those of the author and did not in any way or manner represent the department and the South African Military Health Service.
“The SANDF’s policy on patientconfidentiality is in force‚ as such the views and patientengagements expressed in the book have not been sanctioned by the senior cadre of the department and the SANDF respectively‚” Dlamini added. —