Zimbabwe's Mugabe fires more cabinet members

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has fired seven more cabinet members -- two ministers and five deputy ministers -- continuing a leadership reshuffle that began earlier this month and bringing the number of sacked cabinet members to 16.

The latest ministers booted out of the cabinet include Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Flora Buka, Minister of State in the Vice President's Office Sylvester Nguni, and deputy ministers of health, labor, lands, transport, and justice, Xinhua reported citing a presidential statement carried by state media Monday.

The cabinet reshuffle followed a decade-old factional fight in the ruling Zanu-PF party which peaked in early December with the camp led by Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa destroying the other camp led by former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

Mujuru, Mugabe's deputy for 10 years, was allegedly purged on grounds of an assassination plot against the president. Initially, seven cabinet ministers who were believed to be royal to Mujuru, were sacked. The latest seven cabinet members were also known Mujuru supporters.

Mnangagwa replaced Mujuru as the country's first vice president and is now regarded as the favoured heir of Mugabe, who will turn 91 in February 2015.