VICE President John Nkomo has returned home from South Africa after a reported collapse at his home over the weekend, a minister said.

Nkomo, 76, “underwent a complex operation to remove small cancerous tumors” at an unnamed South African hospital, it was reported on Wednesday.

Information Minister Webster Shamu said Friday that Nkomo was “back in town”, allaying fears that he had been struck down by a “life-threatening” ailment.

“Just like anyone else, he goes for regular check-ups,” Shamu said when asked to explain the Vice President’s weekend trip to South Africa.

The Mail newspaper, a privately-owned daily, reported on Wednesday that Nkomo had been airlifted to South Africa after collapsing at his State residence in Harare. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, the paper added.

Nkomo appeared “weak and unable to walk unaided” when he arrived at Oliver Tambo International Airport, the paper said, adding: “At the clinic, his condition was considered to be life-threatening, and doctors advised him to stay in for observation.”