Johannesburg - Nelson Mandela's wife Graça Machel is reportedly considering taking legal action against Mandela's former doctor, who wrote a book detailing the last days before his death in 2013.
Machel has condemned the book saying it is a breach of "patient doctor confidentiality".
The book titled "
" was released this week, the same week as Mandela's birthday, and is penned by Dr Vejay Ramlakan, who was Mandela's doctor during the last few months of his life.
Machel released a statement early on Friday, News24 reported, which confirmed that she was consulting lawyers for legal advice on the matter.
"I condemn the book in the strongest terms. I am taking legal advice on whether to institute legal proceedings against the author and publisher," said Machel.
The book provides details into Mandela's health complications in his last months, such as complications with an ulcer bleed and lung infection.
Dr Vejay Ramlakan's book Mandela's Last Years reveal intimate details of the anti-apartheid icon's final days.
However, contrary to Machel's statement, Sowetan reports that Ramlakan claims he in fact had the Mandela family's blessing to write the book.
The book’s publisher Penguin Random House South Africa said they had accepted to publish the book, because Ramlakan said he had received permission from Mandela's family to publish the book.
"Penguin Ramdon House South Africa accepted
for publication after the author, Vejay Ramlakan, advised PRHSA that he had received permission from Mr Mandela's family to publish the book," said spokesperson Surita Jourbert.