Windhoek
The Minister of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development, Immanuel Ngatjizeko, is being treated at a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, for alleged pneumonia.
The 63-year-old Ngatjizeko was admitted on Saturday following a recent diagnosis. Ngatjizeko and the permanent secretary in the ministry of industrialisation, Gabriel Sinimbo, were returning from Gabon in West Africa when the minister was abruptly diverted to Pretoria for treatment.
Sinimbo confirmed yesterday that the minister was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria, saying: “This was just an issue with the weather conditions on the other side compared to ours.”
“I just spoke to him and his condition has improved. He is now being attended to by health workers at the hospital. He is still under supervision and we believe that he will be back in the country by tomorrow.”
Pneumonia is described as an inflammatory condition of the lungs, affecting primarily the microscopic air sacs known as alveoli. Although pneumonia can occur in young and healthy people, it is most dangerous for older adults, babies, and people with other illnesses or impaired immune systems.