Nkomo ex-aide battles ill health

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ALTHOUGH the late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo’s aide Eddie Sigoge is currently a free man pending appeal against both conviction and sentence in an attempted murder case, his health is not complementing his freedom.

ALTHOUGH the late Vice-President John Landa Nkomo’s aide Eddie Sigoge is currently a free man pending appeal against both conviction and sentence in an attempted murder case, his health is not complementing his freedom. SENIOR COURT REPORTER

Sigoge (66), Nkomo’s former chief security officer, was released on bail last week after spending two weeks behind bars for the attempted murder of Patrick Masunda, whom he shot and wounded during skirmishes in a farm dispute between Nkomo and Masunda’s brother Langton at the Gwayi Conservancy in 2009.

Sigoge is now confined to his Lobengula West home where his lawyer Tanaka Muganyi said he was recuperating.

“He is now at home recovering. He was released from prison on Wednesday last week and has been in and out of hospital. He even went to hospital a day after his release from prison,” Muganyi said.

In his successful bail application, Sigoge cited chronic illnesses that he said would certainly make prison life a death sentence for him. He submitted that he suffers from hypertension and congestive cardiac arrest failure.

He has also had a surgical operation twice to totally replace the right hip and requires physiotherapy three times a week.

Sigoge requires attention from specialist doctors (surgical surgeons) orthopaedic surgeon specialist appointments at monthly intervals. He cannot walk on his own and uses the aid of crutches.

He also needs assistance when waking up or relieving himself. Sigoge underwent a major surgical operation in 2007 where he was opened from the diaphragm to the bladder and part of his bowel was removed.

He has a poor digestive system that cannot tolerate certain foods and requires a special diet that he can only get from home-based care.