News: Does Zimbabwe female VP want her president Robert Mugabe dead? He sacks her!

President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe has today fired his deputy after accusing her of 'plotting to kill him' following a three-month 'campaign' against her led by his wife.

According to a statement released by the government, Mr Mugabe fired Joice Mujuru, 59, and eight other Cabinet ministers aligned with her, accusing them of corruption.

Mrs Mujuru had been tipped as the person most likely to succeed Mr Mugabe until his second wife, Grace, launched a three-month campaign against her and accused her of being too 'dull' and 'corrupt' to lead the party.

Mr Mugabe, 90, has now accused Mrs Mujuru of plotting to assassinate him and branded her 'a witch'.

President Robert Mugabe (left) has fired his deputy Joice Mujuru (right) accusing her of 'plotting to kill him'

Experts say the First Lady is now being groomed to succeed her husband, following her appointment as leader of the women's wing of Zanu-PF last week.

Mrs Mugabe, 49, had repeatedly accused Mrs Mujuru of plotting against her husband.

Once working as her husband's secretary, in the last few months she has risen to the position of senior party figure.

Mrs Mujuru's sacking came following weeks of accusations that she had led a 'treacherous cabal' to try to unseat Mugabe, according toAl Jazeera. 

The sacked officials received their dismissal letters on Monday night the Reuters news agency has reported.

Mrs Mujuru and her allies were also fired from their senior positions in the ruling party, Zanu-PF, at a meeting last weekend.

A statement issued by the cabinet secretary on behalf of Mr Mugabe said: '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.'

The president said he would, however, allow them to retain ordinary membership of the party. 

Mr Mugabe has also accused Mrs Mujuru of holding secret meetings at the U.S. Embassy in Harare.

Mrs Mujuru has denied the claims, calling them 'ridiculous' in her first public statement, released a day before she was fired.

'I have become the fly in a web of lies whose final objective is the destruction of Zanu-PF,' Mrs Mujuru said in a statement on Tuesday.

Mrs Mujuru was tipped as the person likely to succeed Mr Mugabe until his second wife, Grace, (pictured in white) launched a campaign against her: Mujuru (in green) has denied the claims, calling them 'ridiculous' in her first public statement.