Pretoria - The Nelson Mandela Foundation has demanded an apology from Sunday Independent Editor Makhudu Sefara after the latter allegedly accused the foundation's spokesperson of misleading the nation on former President Nelson Mandela's hospitalisation last week.
The foundation accused Sefara of making what its CEO Achmat Dangor described as an unwarranted personal attack on spokesperson Sello Hatang.
This follows reports carried by Sunday Independent and other newspapers alleging there was a "turf war" between the foundation and the SA National Defence Force, which is responsible for Mandela's health care.
In his opinion piece published on Sunday, Sefara criticized Hatang for the manner in which he had handled the news of Mandela's hospitalisation.
But Dangor said soon after Mandela arrived at the Milpark Hospital last Wednesday, his daughter Zindzi called him and urged the foundation to issue a statement because she was being inundated with media queries.
Tests on her father had just begun and so it was not possible to provide further information, he explained.
"The words 'routine tests' were then agreed to. It was always understood that a more detailed medical bulletin would in due course be issued by the SANDF medical team which is responsible for Madiba's health care," he said.
He further said the words "routine tests" were first used that day by Madiba himself when he met former President Thabo Mbeki at the Waterkloof airbase. Madiba informed Mr Mbeki that he was going to hospital for a "routine check-up." Surgeon General Vejay Ramlakan used it at the press briefing on 28 January 2011, Dangor argued, adding the Foundation was not the only one to use the word.
"For Mr Sefara to accuse Sello Hatang of personally misleading the nation and of being a liar is a gross injustice, and indeed an abuse of Sefara's privileged position...Makhudu Sefara owes Sello Hatang an apology," said the Foundation.
