Zimbabwe’s VP fired, opening way for first lady Grace Mugabe

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe fired a vice president who had been a likely successor, removing an obstacle to the presidential ambitions of Mugabe’s wife.

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa was removed from office “with immediate effect,” the government said Monday, making possible the appointment of Grace Mugabe.

The president, 93, and his wife accused Mnangagwa of plotting to oust Zimbabwe’s leader, who has been in power since independence from white minority rule in 1980.

Mnangagwa had been vice president since 2014 when his predecessor, Joice Mujuru, was fired for allegedly plotting to oust Mugabe.