President Emmerson Mnangagwa fired Sithembiso Gile Gladys Nyoni from the position of Minister of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife on Thursday, March 3.

In a statement, the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Martin Rushwaya, said that Nyoni’s removal is effective immediately. He said:

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde Dr E D Mnangagwa, has in terms of section 340, subsection (1), paragraph (f), as read with section 108, subsection (1) paragraph (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, removed Sithembiso Gile Gladys Nyoni from the position of Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife with immediate effect.

The 75-year-old Nyoni, who has been in government since 2002, served in various ministries, including as Minister of SMEs, Minister of Women and Youth Affairs, and Minister of Industry, before she was transferred to the Ministry of Environment in March last year.

Her dismissal comes amid intensifying ZANU PF factional fights, which were triggered by a push by Mnangagwa loyalists to amend the constitution and extend his term of office beyond 2028, when his second and final term expires.

Before joining the government, Nyoni worked for the NGO Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (ORAP), which she founded in 1981 and remains its president.

Nyoni’s sacking comes less than two weeks after Mnangagwa removed another minister from his Cabinet, Kirsty Coventry, as Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts, and Culture.

Coventry’s removal from Cabinet on Tuesday, March 25, followed her election as the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).