Zimbabwe's ruling party expels former vice president

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Zimbabwe's former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was sacked by President Robert Mugabe this week, has been expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF, a party spokesman said on Wednesday.

Mnangagwa, said Wednesday he had fled the country, as he issued a direct challenge to President Mugabe and his wife, Grace.

The ruling ZANU-PF party "is not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please," Mnangagwa said in an angry five-page statement, vowing he would return to Zimbabwe to lead party members.

Mnangagwa was the foremost contender to succeed Mugabe, 93, but his abrupt removal appeared to clear the way for Grace to take over as president.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe looks on as his deputy Emmerson Mnangagwa reads a card during Mugabe's 93rd birthday celebrations in Harare, Zimbabwe, Feb. 21, 2017. /Reuters Photo

His vow to fight back marked a new level of political instability in Zimbabwe, where Mugabe, who is in increasingly frail health, has ruled unopposed for decades.

"(ZANU-PF) is now a party controlled by undisciplined, egotistical and self-serving minnows who derive their power not from the people and party but from only two individuals in the form of the First Family," Mnangagwa said.

Mnangagwa, 75, had been one of the president's closest allies since Mugabe took power in 1980 after leading the fight against British rule.

He was sacked on Monday following weeks of public clashes with Mugabe and Grace.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters