Cape Town – The ANC said on Friday it was saddened by the death of Dr Vejay Ramlakan, Nelson Mandela's personal physician and former surgeon-general of the SA National Defence Force.
“The African National Congress notes with deep sadness the passing on of Dr Vejay Ramlakan. The former surgeon-general of the National Defence Force passed away at the age of 62 on Thursday the 27th of August 2020.
’’Dr Ramlakan is the former personal physician of late president Nelson Mandela,” said ANC national spokesperson Pule Mabe.
He said Ramlakan was a freedom fighter “in his own name and right” who at the height of repression served as a member of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) charged with commanding Operation Butterfly – an underground command structure in the greater Durban area.
“Dr Ramlakan belongs to a coterie of distinguished freedom fighters who sacrificed their personal comfort for the liberation of the rest of South Africa’s people.
“We salute this outstanding activist of our struggle for liberation and dip our revolutionary banner in his honour,” said Mabe.
“At the time of his passing on, Dr Ramlakan was in the national executive of the Ex-Political Prisoners Association. May his family, friends and colleagues find solace in knowing that their loss is the nation's loss.”
President of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) Kebby Maphatsoe told Independent Media that Ramlakan's death was “very sad” for them and the country.
"Vejay Ramlakan was a very dedicated person to the struggle for our liberation and to the country. He was also a very selfless person.
’’You would remember that he was one of Nelson Mandela's doctors. So this is a great loss to the country and the MKMVA," said Maphatsoe.
African News Agency (ANA)