The woman once seen as heir apparent to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has been fired along with eight Cabinet allies, the Zimbabwean government said on Tuesday.
As the elderly head of state sought to quell infighting over his successor, Chief Secretary to the Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said in a terse statement that Zimbabwean Vice President Joice Mujuru had been fired.
Also sacked were her allies in the energy and public service ministries, and those in half a dozen other departments, Sibanda said.
Photo: EPA
The move caps a long campaign by Mugabe and his closest lieutenants to isolate the 59-year-old Mujuru, a former guerrilla fighter, and her supporters.
She has come increasingly under attack, notably from 90-year-old Mugabe’s wife, Grace. Critics have accused Mujuru of plotting to assassinate the president and of dodgy business dealings.
“It has become evident that her conduct in the discharge of her duties had become inconsistent with the expected standard,” Sibanda said in the statement.
He also blamed Mujuru for “conflict between official responsibilities and private interests.”
Mujuru furiously rejected the allegations, saying she had become “the fly in the web of lies” and adding “no iota of evidence” had been produced against her.
The public battle with Mujuru has put 68-year-old Minister of Justice Emmerson Mnangagwa firmly in top position to replace Mugabe.
Mnangagwa in the past controlled the Zimbabwean secret police and military.
Some cite another possible candidate as Grace Mugabe, who has also been called “Gucci Grace” and “First Shopper.”
The reports came after the ruling ZANU-PF party last week met for a closely watched congress to elect its officials, finally endorsing Mugabe as president and 49-year-old Grace Mugabe as head of the party’s women’s wing.
After her surprise nomination for the powerful post in August, Grace Mugabe immediately launched a sustained campaign against Mujuru, accusing her of corruption and plotting to topple her husband.
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