Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's ruling party has expelled a senior member facing espionage charges, state media said on Monday.
Phillip Chiyangwa, a provincial chairperson of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) arrested in December, is the latest heavyweight to be pushed out of the party ahead of elections next month.
The decision to axe Chiyangwa was taken at the weekend by senior party officials.
"We passed a vote of no confidence," Chiyangwa's successor John Mafa was quoted as saying by the daily Herald.
"It is now a long time since Chiyangwa was arrested and we are heading for crucial elections," said Mafa, referring to the March 31 parliamentary polls which will be closely watched as a test of Zimbabwe's pledge to hold a free and fair vote.
Chiyangwa and four other senior Zanu-PF members were arrested in December last year and accused of being part of a spy ring that was allegedly providing South African President Thabo Mbeki's government with information on the party's affairs.
If convicted, the men face up to 20 years in jail and hefty fines, or both.
Zimbabwe is also alleged to be holding a white South African intelligence agent believed to be linked to the spy ring.
"At first we thought he would resign, but we have discovered that he is not willing to do so," said Mafa.
Chiyangwa, a flamboyant Zimbabwean businessman, had been the Zanu-PF chairperson for Mashonaland West, a north-eastern province that is also Mugabe's stronghold.
In January last year, Chiyangwa was also arrested for allegedly interfering with the judicial process in a multi-million dollar bank fraud case. He was later cleared of the charges.
Chiyangwa's expulsion follows the December firing of six ruling party provincial chairmen for allegedly participating in a supposed plot against the Zanu-PF leadership. Zimbabwe has a total of 10 provinces. - Sapa-AFP