Mnangagwa in stable condition

By Tendai Mugabe

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who left a Presidential Youths Interface Rally in Gwanda on Saturday after a severe bout of vomiting and diarrhoea, is in high spirits and full investigations will be done to establish the cause of his sudden illness, an official has said.

Mnangagwa is currently in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he is receiving treatment. Health and Child Care Minister Dr David Parirenyatwa told journalists in Harare yesterday that following his sudden illness in Gwanda, VP Mnangagwa was taken to a local medical facility where he was properly stabilised after which he requested to go and see his doctors in South Africa.

Dr Parirenyatwa, who was in the company of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Chris Mushohwe at the Press conference, said VP Mnangagwa was in a jovial mood.

“This is really to give an update to the country and the nation about the state of the Honourable Vice President Mnangagwa’s health,” he said. “What I would like to say is that he has much improved. I have just spoken with him. He is quite jovial and he is well, really, but he requested, and we have sent him to be seen by his doctors in South Africa where he is now.

“We are all aware that he had a severe bout of vomiting and diarrhoea in Gwanda and we took him to appropriate institutions within the country where he was properly stabilised and appropriate investigations were then commenced.

“We are still in progress to establish the source of that gastroenteritis or vomiting and diarrhoea. This is the situation. He is much better and well stabilised and like I said, I spoke to him just now.”

Dr Parirenyatwa said preliminary investigations showed that VP Mnangagwa was not in danger. “Preliminarily, all blood tests in terms of what we call the urea, the electrolyse, the full blood counts are okay, but I cannot go further than that because, really, this is personal information,” he said.

“Preliminarily, all those investigations have been done. Again the appropriate medical investigations will be done as well in terms of blood, in terms of stool, urine — the full gambit will be done,” he added. The Herald