Babongile Sikhonjwa in stable condition

BULAWAYO socialite and comedian Babongile Sikhonjwa, who spent Christmas in hospital after being involved in an accident early this week, is said to be in a stable condition after X-rays conducted yesterday revealed that he had a broken collar bone and cracked ribs.

Sikhonjwa, a popular Master of Ceremonies, is still admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at Mpilo Central Hospital where he is on life support.

But, that has not dampened the comedian's mood as he has been communicating with those who visit him by writing notes on pieces of paper, at times telling people that he dislikes the doctors for not allowing his fans to visit him.

"Babongile is recovering well and is now communicating by writing on a pad, showing that he is getting there. He even writes jokes when he wants something," his young brother, Banele, said.

Babongile, together with fellow comedian Clive Chigubu and a friend, was involved in a car accident in Nguboyenja after having attended various festive events in Bulawayo. Sikhonjwa who was driving a Mercedes Benz C230 reportedly failed to negotiate a bend at the Nguboyenja fly-over and lost control of the vehicle, resulting in it hitting a lamppost before overturning. Unconfirmed reports say the airbag pushed Sikhonjwa out of the rear window, while Chigubu was also thrown out of the car, but sustained minor injuries and was discharged from hospital early this week.

Banele said doctors indicated that his brother should be out of hospital in a month.

"The doctors said he will need at most a month to recover from injuries. We were told that he had a broken left collar bone, cracked ribs and that his lungs are recovering well. He is being assisted by 40 percent life support to help him breathe," Banele said.

He said it was unfortunate that fans of the comedian and friends could not visit his brother as doctors had insisted that only close family members visit.

"We would like to thank the community of Bulawayo and the nation for their continued support as their son recovers. We want to thank his friends for respecting the doctors' request that he gets minimal visiting," he said.

Banele said those who wanted to hold vigils or prayers for Sikhonjwa needed to seek permission from their family first.

Meanwhile, messages of support from fellow artistes to Sikhonjwa continue to pour on social media networking sites.

Harare-based musician Willis Wattafi who is in the city for the festive season summed up all the messages saying it was hard to believe they had not spent Christmas with Sikhonjwa.

"I only got to believe that Babongile had been involved in an accident when I heard people saying they got confirmation from close friends and family members.

"I wish him a speedy recovery and he's in my prayers," Banele said.