The South African government has denied that former president Nelson Mandela is in a permanent vegetative state, as outlined in court documents filed on June 26. "We confirm our earlier statement released this afternoon after President Jacob Zuma visited Madiba in hospital that Madiba remains in a critical, but stable condition," said the statement on Thursday using Mandela's clan name. "The doctors deny that the former president is in a vegetative state," the statement added.
