Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa has clipped the powers of his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga, in the latest move to weaken his vice-president.
Chiwenga is widely seen to harbour presidential ambitions and his involvement in the military coup last November that led to the ousting of former ruler Robert Mugabe inched him closer to the top job.
Mnangagwa issued a new statute on Friday which stripped Chiwenga of any meaningful power, including military command.
"Assignment of functions (vice-president and minister responsible for the ministry of defence and war veterans affairs) notice of 2018, published statutory instrument 96 of 2018, is hereby repealed," read a part of the note. Chiwenga is now in charge of "procurement and research".
In the new cabinet announced in September, Chiwenga was dropped as defence minister by Mnangagwa, to be replaced by Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Part of Muchinguri-Kashiri's mandate is to adhere to the Defence Act, which prohibits the army's involvement in politics.
Mnangagwa's latest act of political brinkmanship has sparked fears of new political battles looming.
A Zanu-PF central committee member who spoke on condition of anonymity said this week there was potential for a new political crisis erupting in the party.
"Chiwenga has been regarded as the power behind the throne since November 2017, but he's being diluted and that will create factions in the party as we head for the December conference. In the past, internal fights have taken centre stage ahead of the economy as the people suffer, while power brokers frustrate each other's work."
This week, the Zanu-PF Youth League said at its Young Assembly it backed Mnangagwa to stand for re-election in 2023 and serve two terms under the constitution.
Godfrey Tsenegamu, political commissar of the league, said: "Those who were saying Mnangagwa will rule for only one term are lost."
The youth league also launched Mnangagwa's re-election slogan: "2023: ED Pfee". (Pfee means "entering")...