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The physician who wrote a revealing book on the last days of statesman Nelson Mandela, Dr. Vejay Ramlakan, has died at age 62.
The former surgeon general of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) died in a Johannesburg hospital of a suspected heart attack on Thursday.
Pule Mabe of the ANC said: “Dr. Ramlakan was a freedom fighter in his own name and right who, at the height of the repression, served as a member of Umkhonto WeSizwe, charged with the responsibility of commanding Operation Butterfly, an underground command structure in the Durban metropolitan area.
“Dr. Ramlakan belongs to a cabal of distinguished freedom fighters who sacrificed their personal comfort for the liberation of the rest of the people of SA. We salute this prominent activist in our struggle for liberation.
Until his death, Ramlakan was on the national executive of the Association of Ex-Political Prisoners.
“May your family, friends and colleagues find comfort in knowing that their loss is the loss of the nation,” Mabe said.
Lakela Kaunda, who has served in the presidency since 2009, shared on Facebook that she “will always fondly remember her efficiency and effectiveness in supporting us in the presidency when Madiba was seriously ill.”
She said: “He was always helpful, always kind, humble and willing to patiently explain medical terms. An officer and a gentleman in the true sense of the phrase. Farewell soldier. Your work is done. Give Madiba a big hug from all of us. “
In 2017, Ramlakan’s book The last years of Mandela It was quickly removed from bookstore shelves after the Mandela family accused the author of violating doctor-patient confidentiality and Mandela’s widow, GraCa Machel, threatened to sue him. Madiba died in December 2013.
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