JOHANNESBURG, July 10 A painting that depicts a dead Nelson Mandela undergoing an autopsy provoked outrage on Saturday in South Africa, but the artist who created the work has said it is a tribute to the iconic leader.

The painting by local artist Yuill Damaso depicts South Africa's first black president's dead body on an operating table, undergoing an autopsy as prominent South African political figures look on.

The work, which is on display in an upmarket Johannesburg shopping centre, has drawn outrage from South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC).

“The ANC is appalled and strongly condemns in the strongest possible terms the 'Dead Mandela' painting,” the party said in a statement.

“It is in bad taste, disrespectful, and it is an insult and an affront to values of our society.” The ANC called the painting “racist” and criticised the artist for depicting Mandela as dead, saying it was considered an act of witchcraft in African society.But Damaso said he meant no disrespect to the hero of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle.

“It shows Mandela's flesh and bones, which shows that he was a man, just like every one of us,” the artist told the Saturday Star.—AFP