Former Surgeon-General, Lieutenant -General Vejay Ramlakan, who was the doctor of the late former President Nelson Mandela will be buried on Saturday. His funeral service will be held at the Durban City Hall.
The 62-year-old Vejay died last week from a suspected heart attack.
He headed the South African Military Health from 2005 to 2013, and was later appointed as Chief of Corporate Services prior to his retirement in 2015.
The Cato Manor-born Dr Ramlakan cut his teeth in politics while studying medicine at the University of Durban Westville.
During the liberation struggle, he served in Umkhonto we Sizwe’s Butterfly Unit alongside Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize and former KwaZulu-Natal Health Dr Sbongiseni Dlomo.
Ramlakan’s cousin Derrick Kissoonduth says, “It’s a military funeral so after the family views it, the body and the casket will be taken over by the military and they will take control from there, right now till the body reaches the crematorium will be done by the military and at the crematorium we will hand it back. The butterfly unit will do an all parade there and it will go into the crematorium. Every thing will be close and we will try to stand by the laws of the country as much as we can.”
