A Zimbabwe ruling party official confirms that the Central Committee has fired President Robert Mugabe as party leader and replaced him with the recently dismissed Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The emergency meeting also has recalled first lady Grace Mugabe as head of the women's league "forever." The meeting continues.
The move paves the way for sacked vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa, Grace Mugabe's arch rival, to take the reins of power in Zimbabwe, following a coup led by the military earlier this week.
"The dictator has fallen; Mnangagwa will take over from the despot," the top Zanu-PF member told dpa.
"We have played our part and we now wait for Mugabe to resign and if he doesn't do so we will impeach him."
