President Robert Mugabe has fired his vice president Joice Mujuru along with eight other ministers in his first cabinet reshuffle since last year’s election win, state media reported on Tuesday, as the fallout over an alleged plot to unseat the veteran leader continues.

Mujuru, 59, once seen as the favorite to replace long standing Mugabe, who is now 90 and has been in power for 34 years, has come under increasing attack in recent times, notably from Mugabe’s increasingly powerful wife Grace who is also rumored to being groomed for the presidency.