Mugabe sacks yet another round of top officials

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe fired a number of people in important government posts on Tuesday.

Among those fired were his deputy, Joice Mujuru, along with seven others, who were accused of being involved in a plot to oust 90-year-old Mugabe, who has been in power in Zimbabwe for the past 34 years.

He had already denounced Mujuru, who had been most likely to succeed him as the country's leader, last week on December 5. He warned that any official who plotted against his government would face the possibility of dismissal and prosecution. A day later, his wife, Grace Mugabe, was installed as the new head of his party's women's division.

Mugabe has already fired a series of top officials, including his former spokesman Rugare Gumbo. However, it is his Vice President Joice Mujuru - seen as a relative moderate - who has incurred the worst of his wrath.

'The way of crooks'

In his address to some 12,000 delegates gathered at Robert Mugabe Square in central Harare last Thursday, Mugabe drew attention to her absence.

"As you can see here are gaps here," Mugabe said, referring to Mujuru's empty seat at the congress' opening day. "Some of our colleagues did not turn up even though we have not chased them away," Mugabe said. "That's the way of crooks."

sb/es (Reuters, dpa, AFP)