Pretoria: A new book on Nelson Mandela's last days has been withdrawn after it was received with outrage by the revolutionary's widow. Written by his physician Vejay Ramlakan, the book was released last week to coincide with the late anti-apartheid leader's birthday on July 18- marked as Mandela Day. The book reportedly reveals several undignified episodes at the end of Mandela's life as well as bitter family fights over his care and legacy.
Graca Machel, his wife, expressed fury and threatened legal action. Publisher Penguin Random House South Africa said it had decided “to immediately withdraw the book Mandela's Last Years from the trade, and no further copies will be issued.” It also said that the book “Was meant to portray Nelson Mandela's courage and strength until the very end of his life, and was in no way intended to be disrespectful.” Machel accused Ramlakan of breaching patient confidentiality.
Details in the book include how the philanthropist regurgitated blood following a lung infection, and how a spy camera was found in the morgue where his body was held. There is also a revelation on how an ambulance transporting Mandela to hospital during his final months caught fire on the highway forcing him to wait for a backup. Machel accused the writer of not consulting her, while he said the book had been approved. Ramlakan said, “We received permission from the family. All parties who needed to be consulted were consulted. The story of Madiba's last years is actually, in a sense, more impressive than when he was a fit human being.”
Random House's decision to pull the controversial book was welcomed by the leader's eldest grandson, Mandla Mandela, who called it an “abuse of Mandela name and legacy”.
