South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday expressed his condolences to family and friends of retired military doctor Vejay Ramlakan who died last week.
“We will remember him, not only for his noble contribution in the struggle for liberation, but for the many years of great work as the physician to the father of our nation – former President Nelson Mandela,” Ramaphosa said.
The former South African National Defence Force surgeon-general contributed to the liberation of all South Africans, the president said.
He said the doctor was one of the founding members of the opposition pressure group United Democratic Front and a member of the ruling African National Congress’ armed wing called uMkhonto we Sizwe whose founding commander was a young militant named Nelson Mandela.
As a doctor at One Military Hospital in Pretoria, Ramlakan, aged 62 when he died, looked after Mandela for a decade until the latter’s death in 2013 after a long lung illness, the presidency concluded.
NM/jn/APA