Zimbabwe's Mugabe fires vice president, seven cabinet ministers

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has fired his deputy Joice Mujuru and seven other cabinet ministers, according to a statement issued by the chief secretary to the president and cabinet.

The statement said Mugabe exercised his executive powers to relieve Mujuru of her position as the vice president, a position she held for 10 years, on the grounds that "it had become evident that her conduct in the discharge of her duties had become inconsistent with the expected standard, exhibiting conflict between official responsibilities and private interests", Xinhua cited the statement as saying.

Mujuru's dismissal comes as no surprise as she had been removed from the ruling party's central committee on the allegations that she planned to assassinate Mugabe, a charge she has repeatedly denied.

The seven cabinet ministers who were dismissed are Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa, ICT Minister Webster Shamu, Indigenisation Minister Francis Nhema, Higher Education Minister Olivia Muchena, Energy Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire, Labour Minister Nicholas Goche and Minister of State Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland East Province Simbaneuta Mudarikwa.

All the dismissed ministers are known to be loyal to Mujuru. Mutasa and Goche were previously accused of taking part in the assassination plot.