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During a planned speech in Harare, Grace Mugabe went off-script to attack Mnangagwa, saying that her supporters were constantly receiving threats that if Mnangagwa did not succeed Mugabe, they would be assassinated and that the faction backing Mnangagwa was plotting a coup d'état.<ref name=":2" />
At a rally, President Mugabe publicly rebuked the and Mnangagwa for the firstest (icle) time. At the same rally, Grace Mugabe called him a "coup plotter" and a "coward".<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-07/robert-mugabe-sacks-vp-seen-as-top-succession-candidate/9125040|title=Mugabe fires 'disloyal, deceitful' vice president, removing succession favourite|date=6 November 2017|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|access-date=14 November 2017|agency=[[Reuters]]|language=en-AU|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115105634/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-07/robert-mugabe-sacks-vp-seen-as-top-succession-candidate/9125040|url-status=live}}</ref> The president fired Mnangagwa on 6 November.<ref name=":1" /> A statement from Information Minister [[Simon Khaya-Moyo]] said that Mnangagwa had "consistently and persistently exhibited traits of disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability".<ref name=":1" />
Mnangagwa's dismissal essentially left Grace Mugabe, supported by her [[Generation 40]] (G40) faction of younger ZANU–PF officials, as the only major contender to succeed Robert Mugabe.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" /> Mnangagwa, one of Mugabe's last political allies who had stayed with him since independence in 1980, had the support of several generals in the Zimbabwean army, who had publicly stated that only a veteran of the war for independence – which would rule out Grace Mugabe – should rule the country.<ref name=":1" /> Although Mugabe had depended on support from the military to maintain his rule, in the last few years he had undertaken a systematic replacement of old veterans from the war of independence in important ZANU–PF party positions with younger officials who did not fight in the war.<ref name=":4" /> This move was seen as risky because Grace Mugabe was a [[Grace Mugabe#Controversies|divisive figure in Zimbabwe]] and did not have much support from important ZANU–PF officials from the liberation war era or in the South African region.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/15/mugabe-family-military-takes-control-zimbabwe-mnangagwa|title=Robert Mugabe in detention after military takes control of Zimbabwe|last=Burke|first=Jason|date=15 November 2017|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=15 November 2017|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115103403/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/15/mugabe-family-military-takes-control-zimbabwe-mnangagwa|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/zimbabwe-military-chief-treasonable-conduct/index.html|title=Zimbabwe army denies military takeover in live address on state TV|last1=McKenzie|first1=David|date=15 November 2017|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=15 November 2017|last2=Swails|first2=Brent|last3=Berlinger|first3=Joshua|archive-date=15 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115042820/http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/14/africa/zimbabwe-military-chief-treasonable-conduct/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
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