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Lloyd Gumbo and Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau—
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe sacked Vice President Joice Mujuru yesterday along with eight ministers, setting the stage for a major Cabinet reshuffle this week following the party’s congress which ended last Saturday. Energy Minister Dzikamai Mavhaire, his Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment counterpart Francis Nhema, Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa, Webster Shamu (Information Communications Technology), Nicholas Goche (Labour and Social Welfare) and Olivia Muchena (Tertiary Education) were all given the chop.

Mavhaire’s deputy, Munacho Mutezo, and Simbarashe Mudarikwa, the Minister of State for Mashonaland East Province, were also given the boot, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Misheck Sibanda, said.

President Mugabe said it had “become apparent” that the conduct of the nine and their performance were “below the expected standard”.

The former Vice President and the ministers were expending their energy and time on factional politics in an alleged deadly plot to assassinate the Zanu-PF leader and take over power – just over a year into his new five-year mandate.

Said Sibanda: “In terms of Section 106 (2) (b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013, His Excellency the President, Cde R. G. Mugabe has exercised his Executive Powers to relieve Honourable J. T. R. Mujuru, MP of her position of Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe with immediate effect as it had become evident that her conduct in the discharge of her duties had become inconsistent with her official responsibilities.’’

The cited law says that Vice Presidents, Ministers and Deputy Ministers “may not, during their tenure of office, act in any way that is inconsistent with their office, or expose themselves to any situation involving the risk of a conflict between their official responsibilities and private interests.’’

Over the past few weeks, allegations of high level corruption and abuse of office have been raised against Mujuru, including claims that she extorted shareholding from companies, demanded kickbacks from foreign investors and sold gold and diamonds illegally.

But the trigger for her sacking appeared to be new claims that working with some of the sacked ministers and their associates, they drew up plans for President Mugabe’s assassination in a plot allegedly backed by the United States of America.

Mujuru has denied all the charges and last night appeared resigned to her fate.

She told the Voice of America’s Studio 7 that she was a “poor widow” who had become a victim of misinformation, as she insisted that she would remain loyal to Zanu-PF “till I die”.

Mujuru said she was informed of the President’s decision through a letter delivered at 9.31PM on Monday. Her sacking was not announced until yesterday.

In separate interviews, some of the sacked ministers accepted their fate while others chose to remain tight-lipped.

Muchena said: “I received my letter last night (Monday) but I’m not going to make any comments apart from saying we serve at the pleasure of the President.”

Mavhaire said he also received his letter Monday night. “Yes, it’s true that the two of us (and Engineer Mutezo) have been sacked. The letter was sent to me last night and I signed it. It’s the President who appoints and I respect his decision,” he said.

Eng Mutezo blamed our sister paper, The Herald, for his dismissal.

“You finished me,” he railed at a Herald reporter, “but it doesn’t matter. That’s what you wanted. I don’t think it’s fair to discuss the President’s letter with a journalist. You serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and you don’t question his authority.”

He went on to state that “my ethics are different from others because I don’t reveal the operations (of the ministry). Probably that’s where I went wrong and people have been made to see another Mutezo not me.”

Cdes Mavhaire and Mutezo allegedly connived to coerce the state-owned power company, Zesa, to deposit $40,000 into a Manicaland Zanu-PF Women’s League account to prop-up Mujuru’s alleged plot.

The pair were also accused of siphoning off more than $100,000, amid reports millions more were creamed off struggling parastatals under their ambit, to fund factional activities and Eng Mutezo’s political activities in Chimanimani West.

Speaking from India where his wife was taken ill, Mutasa said: “I told you long ago that I don’t want to talk to you.’’

Mutasa is accused of plotting to assassinate President Mugabe after he told one of his lovers that if the President blocks Mujuru’s claim to the presidency at the just-ended congress, he would be shot.

Shamu’s mobile phone was answered by a lady who said the ousted minister had gone to his farm. She was not sure when he would be back. The former political commissar is accused of impregnating an under-age girl, apart from working with the Mujuru cabal to undermine and depose President Mugabe.

Nhema and Mudarikwa’s mobile phones went unanswered while Goche was not reachable.

All the sacked officials failed to make the Zanu-PF central committee at the weekend congress.

An extraordinary Zanu-PF central committee meets in Harare today, and President Mugabe is expected to announce to the party faithful his two picks for the vacant Vice President posts. The other had not been filled since Cde John Nkomo died last year.

President Mugabe is also expected to announce his new-look Cabinet this week, with indications that more ministerial departures could be on the cards.