Zimbabwe's ruling party fires senior officials allied to Mugabe rival

Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party has sacked seven more senior officials including two former cabinet ministers and suspended several others for "being aligned to former Vice-President Joice Mujuru's faction" that stands accused of planning to remove President Robert Mugabe from power.

Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya-Moyo made the announcement after the party's Politburo meeting on Thursday night.

He was quoted by local newspaper on Friday as saying "more purges are expected in the future as the party seeks to rid itself of people linked to Mujuru" who was expelled from the government and the party in late 2014.

The seven people includes former higher and tertiary education minister, former energy minister and former Mashonaland East provincial governor.

Earlier, former secretary for administration and former secretary for information were expelled for their roles in the failed plot to topple Mugabe.

Thirteen other officials were suspended for five years, including former labor minister and several former deputy ministers.

Khaya-Moyo said there were other party members that had been suspended for two years and their names would be announced in due course.

"All these people who have been suspended remain ordinary party card-carrying members, including those who are members of parliament. They are just not allowed to hold positions within the period of the suspensions," he said. Endi