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JOHANNESBURG. — Nelson Mandela’s widow Graça Machel was treated badly by members of his family as the anti-apartheid icon was fighting for his life in hospital, excerpts from a memoir by his long-time aide have revealed.
In a book likely to ruffle some feathers within the large Mandela family, Zelda la Grange, Mandela’s personal assistant for 19 years, tells of shabby treatment suffered by Graca Machel, even in the aftermath of her husband’s death.
La Grange said the exception was Zindzi Mandela.
La Grange’s book “Good Morning, Mr Mandela” will be launched on Thursday.
Excerpts published by Sunday Times newspaper reveal that Graca Machel was once called “Ms Frantic” by Mandela’s eldest daughter Makaziwe, after media reports that she had been in a frenzy when an ambulance driving Mandela to hospital broke down on a motorway on a cold evening in June 2013.
La Grange also recalled family squabbles over control of the statesman during his final days, sidelining Machel.
She writes that debates within the Mandela family about his funeral took place for years before he died in December last year at the age of 95.
But, Machel had refused to be party to such arrangements.
“I don’t know of any person alive who has been treated with the amount of disrespect that people have shown to Mrs Machel,” writes La Grange.
“Mum (Machel) was hurt and emotionally brutalised,” La Grange said in extracts of the soon-to-be-released memoir.
She also says that Machel, like anybody else, was compelled to get accreditation to attend her own husband’s funeral on December 15.
The Machel family was allocated only five spots at the service.
La Grange details a number of incidents in which family in-fighting left Machel — along with many close friends of Mandela — sidelined.
She says when Mandela was too ill to speak, his family allowed strangers to visit him; while excluding life-long friends.
Meanwhile, Mandela’s eldest daughter Makaziwe has warned the late stateman’s assistant that she could be sued over her claims that Mandela’s wife Graça Machel was side-lined during his final days and funeral.
Makaziwe told the newspaper that La Grange would have to substantiate her claims against the family or she would be sued.
La Grange said that she had told the truth: “There’s not one line that can be contested in the book.” — AFP/Sapa/HR
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