Johannesburg
A South African newspaper says the country’s health minister got an emergency liver transplant after her liver failed because of heavy drinking. The Johannesburg Sunday Times, a respected paper, has been running stories accusing Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang of being “a drunk and a thief” who received a liver intended for someone else. The minister said the stories were “false, speculative, and bizarre,” but she has not filed a libel suit. Her boss, President Thabo Mbeki, refuses to investigate the allegations. Mbeki has consistently supported Tshabalala-Msimang, even when she advised AIDS patients to fight the disease by eating garlic.
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