The family of the late Nelson Mandela’s baring its claws at claims made in a book by his former private assistant.
Zelda la Grange she doesn’t know of anyone alive who was treated with such disrespect as Mandela’s wife Graça Machel during his final days and at his funeral.
In her book on the19 years she served as Nelson Mandela’s assistant, Zelda la Grange says Graca Machel was hurt and emotionally brutalised by the Mandela family.
La Grange details several cases of Mandela family in-fighting that sidelined Machel and many of Mandela’s close friends.
She says the family allowed strangers to visit Mandela when he was too ill to speak but excluded his life-long friends.
La Grange says Machel was allocated only five seats for Mandela’s funeral.
Mandela’s eldest daughter Makaziwe hits back saying La Grange will have to substantiate her claims against the family or she will be sued.
La Grange stands by the contents of the book which is due to be published here on Thursday She maintains there’s not one line that can be contested in the book.
La Grange singles out Zindzi Mandela as one member of the former president’s family who was not unkind to Machel.
Le Grange’s claims and the Mandela family’s angry reaction have gone viral on social media in South Africa.