Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has fired his longtime ally and vice president, potentially clearing the way for his wife, Grace Mugabe, to take the role and eventually succeed her 93-year-old husband.

Mugabe accused Emmerson Mnangagwa of "disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability," according to a press statement issued by Zimbabwe's Information Minister Simon Khaya-Moyo.

Mnangagwa's removal means Grace Mugabe is expected to be appointed vice president at a special congress of the ruling Zanu-PF party next month.