The new Madiba book is disrespectful

Human beings are ghoulish voyeurs. That’s why they love anything that smacks of scandal and anything where they feel as though they’re getting a peep behind closed doors.

When it comes to an icon like Nelson Mandela, there is a huge interest in the story of his life as a human being … and particularly in his last days.

That is why there is a ready market for the new book, Mandela’s Last Years, written by Vejay Ramlakan, the former SANDF surgeon-general who headed the medical teams that looked after Madiba until his death in 2013.

That interest will have been even further stimulated because a row has erupted over Ramlakan’s head, with some in Mandela’s family very unhappy with the publication of what they consider sensitive, personal information.

Ramlakan, in turn, claims he was given permission to write and publish the book by some members of the family – although he will not divulge the identity of that person or persons.

The question that occurs to us – and one which has been raised by others – is: Is Ramlakan not breaking the oath of doctor-patient confidentiality in revealing these hitherto unknown details?

Does the vow of privacy extend beyond the death of a patient? We believe that if it does not do so legally, then it should do so morally and ethically.

It is wrong to profit from the suffering of someone else, even if that person’s life and death are huge matters of public interest.

Also, is it acceptable that members of a family can give their permission for a business undertaking like this?

We think that this sort of profiteering from the death of South Africa’s greatest hero leaves a bad taste in the mouth.