Johannesburg - Doctors have advised Nelson Mandela’s family that his life support should be turned off because he was in a “permanent vegetative state”, reports a British newspaper, quoting court documents.
The revelation from members of the icon’s family came as part of a family dispute over the graves of three of his children.
The Daily Mail reported, quoting court documents, that doctors had advised Mandela’s family that his life support should be turned off because he was in a “permanent vegetative state”.
The newspaper’s website reported court documents from June 26 saying: “He is in a permanent vegetative state and is assisted in breathing by a life-support machine. The Mandela family have been advised by the medical practitioners that his life-support machine should be switched off.
“Rather than prolonging his suffering, the Mandela family are exploring this option as a very real probability.”
A later version of the document filed in the court omitted the paragraphs referring to Mandela’s “vegetative state” and the advice by physicians to take Mandela off life support.
The Presidency sent out a statement denying the report on Thursday night. It said Mandela was in a “stable but critical condition”.
“The doctors deny that the former president is in a vegetative state,” said President Jacob Zuma’s spokesman, Mac Maharaj.
A lawyer for the Mandela family later said the original certificate of urgency was “merely a submission outside of court”.
“To the extent there is speculation, a certificate of urgency was filed in terms of the practice of our court,” said Wesley Hayes, who represented the family in the dispute with Mandla Mandela about the graves of his father and his grandfather’s other two children.
“The certificate is not evidence, but merely submissions on why a matter should be heard outside ordinary court sittings.”
Hayes said the ruling on the urgency of the matter had been made in camera and that this “would extend to the contents of the certificate of urgency”.
“Further than that we have no comment,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday, Mandela’s wife, Graça Machel, said Madiba “is fine”. Speaking at the launch of the Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day in Houghton, Johanneburg, Machel said Mandela “is uncomfortable and sometimes in pain, but he is fine”.
She thanked the world for the “message of hope it continues to send the family and Madiba”, and remarked that it was Madiba’s wish that she left his bedside to attend Thursday’s festivities.
Simultaneously, Mandla intensified the Mandela family feud, insisting that Madiba had himself asked to be buried in Mvezo.
Madiba’s burial site is right at the core of the family battle that has pitted Mandla against his brothers and aunts. His aunt Makaziwe and 15 others told the Mthatha High Court this week they believed Mandla wants to “force” the Mandelas’ place of burial away from Qunu to Mvezo.
“The applicants, as custodians of the last will and testament of Nelson Mandela, will have duties to ensure his last wishes are carried out in the event of his demise,” said Makaziwe and others.
On Madiba’s will, Mandla said: “It remains a secret, and remains with the people he has appointed to administer it.”
The family held a small ceremony yesterday, during which the remains of three of Madiba’s children were returned to Qunu as per Wednesday’s court decision.
Before the ceremony, Mandla said at a press conference that the topic of Madiba’s burial site came up once while he was sitting in Qunu with a crew from the BBC that was shooting a “30 days with Madiba” documentary.
“While in Qunu, the subject came up. (Madiba) said I should usher the crew to the gravesite to show them where his mother and father are. Then they asked him the question ‘Where would you like to be buried?’, and he immediately without hesitation said ‘I want to be laid right here next to my father’. And that is all that I know about my grandfather’s wishes,” said Mandla.
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, as he is officially known, said the ailing Madiba would be disappointed at recent events that have played out in public and in court.
He also questioned the legitimacy of some of the 15 family members who took him to court, saying they can’t claim to be part of the Mandela family.
He went on to accuse his aunt Makaziwe, who was the main applicant in the court case, of trying to get her hands on the global icon’s money by trying to have advocate George Bizos, Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale and advocate Bally Chuene removed as trustees of Madiba’s trusts.
During Thursday’s briefing, Mandla focused his attention mainly on Makaziwe and brothers Mbuso and Ndaba.
Flanked by his mother Nolusapho, the young chief said he had been the subject of “attacks from all sorts of individuals wanting a few minutes of fame and media attention at my expense”.
“In the first instance, I want to express my disappointment at the decision taken at the Mthatha High Court yesterday. I remain convinced that the decision of the court was erroneous as the court granted a final order in my absence, so I was effectively denied the right to be heard. I will, however, not challenge this further because it will serve no purpose.”
Turning his attention to members of his family, he said: “Having stood against my family in the case that was put forward by my grandfather’s children, that of aunt Makaziwe and aunt Zenani, supported by a number of grandchildren and other members of the family, to try to remove George Bizos, Tokyo Sexwale and Bally Chuene as trustees, I made it clear that I want no part in it… They are looking to seek revenge,” said Mandla.
He added that certain people had been parading as family members in the “day-to-day decisions” of the Mandela family.
“As for Ndaba, I’m highly disappointed. He claims in media reports that I was born out of wedlock. I wish he would say that in the presence of my father.
“But he knows very well that my father impregnated a married woman, of which he is a result of that act. So he should be very careful when he wants to throw insults, particularly to my mother.”
In court papers, Makaziwe and others said it was clear that Mandla wants Madiba buried in Mvezo for “self-serving interests”.
“He knows that it has always been the wish of Mr Nelson Mandela to be buried alongside his children. By controlling the area in which these descendants’ remains are buried, he expects that the remains of (Madiba) will soon follow.”