Nomvula Mokonyane reportedly struggling to recover after undergoing liposuction

A report in Sunday Sun today alleges that Minister of Environmental Affairs Nomvula Mokonyane has not been able to recover as quickly as she would have liked from a liposuction procedure performed “about a month ago”.

She should have been “rocking her summer body” already, according to one insider they said they spoke to.

The minister has been on sick leave at home in Johannesburg, “keeping a low profile”, with her supposed plans to hit the beach with friends now allegedly on hold.

According to the publication, the minister has attempted to keep the news secret, with her spokesperson only being willing to confirm she is on leave, and it was granted by the president, without saying why.

Liposuction is a type of fat removal procedure used in plastic surgery. Doctors are divided on whether it is able to provide lasting benefits, since weight reduction should ideally be a product of exercise, lifestyle and nutrition choices. People who undergo the expensive procedure see a temporary loss of weight that often simply returns within months.

Evidence does not support an effect on weight beyond a couple of months and it does not appear to affect obesity-related problems.

There have also been numerous reports about how difficult it is for MPs and other politicians to maintain healthy lifestyles due to the abundance of food that is often always on offer in parliament and other centres of government.

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