Angolan minister rejects claims of plot to switch off Dos Santos' life support
Thursday June 30 2022
Angola President João Lourenço at the Presidential Palace in Luanda on February 17, 2020. PHOTO | AFP
Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister on Thursday denied allegations that he travelled to Barcelona, Spain, where former President José Eduardo dos Santos is hospitalised to switch off the ex-leader’s ‘life support.’
The pronouncements come after Welwicthia dos Santos, the former President’s daughter accused President João Lourenço´s government of wanting to kill her father.
On Tuesday, Welwithcia, in audio published on social media, said her father was alive and stable.
"They [goverment] are trying to convince the family (...) to ask the doctors to turn off the machines. I, as a daughter, will never allow anyone to turn off the machines of a living father, who has a heart that beats normally”.
The former head of State has been hospitalised at the Heknon Centre in Barcelona since June 23.
“That decision is up to the family,” Tete António, the Foreign Affairs minister said.
Speaking to journalists outside the hospital, Mr António also assured the Angolan public that the government is covering all the medical expenses of the 79-year-old former president.
"We have limited ourselves to fulfilling a mission that was given to us by the President of the Republic, which is to come here to find out about the state of health of President José Eduardo dos Santos," Rádio Nacional de Angola quoted Mr António as saying.
Read: Dos Santos’ health a ‘concerning situation’
He opted out of disclosing details about Dos Santos' health adding that it is his doctors' responsibility.
"We are Africans, we have a culture that is not conducive to this type of hypothesis,” he added.