Johannesburg, Aug 29: Nelson Mandela’s personal Indian-origin physician Vejay Ramlakan, who served him for a decade until the South African leader’s death in 2013, passed away here following a cardiac arrest, his family said.
Ramlakan, 62, passed away on Thursday, his younger brother Anand said.
He was lauded by former colleagues in Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress during the fight against apartheid, for his dedication to serving the country and its people.
His funeral arrangements have not been announced yet as some fellow veterans in MK are requesting an official state funeral for Ramlakan.
During the liberation struggle against the apartheid government in the 1980s, Ramlakan successfully headed up a project to build up internal resistance groups in his home region of Durban.
He courted controversy in 2017 when he authored a book titled Mandela’s Last Years, in which he gave details of the iconic leader’s illnesses. (PTI)
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