According to Rapport, Du Plessis' lawyer, Johan Victor, confirmed that his client intended to sue and said an apology issued by NB Uitgewers last week left "more questions than answers". 

Tafelberg, which published the book, is a subsidiary of NB Uitgewers, which is part of Media24. 

On Tuesday, the book was withdrawn by its publishers, News24 reported. According to the book - which was co-written by Chris Steyn and Mark Minnie, who took his own life in August 2018 - three former National Party ministers, including strongman Magnus Malan and John Wiley, are named as central figures in a paedophilia ring that operated during apartheid. 

Malan and Wiley are deceased. The third former minister was not named in the book, but Du Plessis publicly stated that he believed he was being implicated.

News24