Live Updates: Robert Mugabe removed from power by army

Here are all the updates on the story.

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Mugabe has just addressed Zimbabweans via a televised broadcast.

And guess what? He's not resigning.

According to the BBC,"In a live TV address, Mr Mugabe said he would preside over the ruling party's congress in December".

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Zimbabwe's ruling party has just sacked Mugabe as leader and appointed ex Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa to take his place.

Cheering erupted at the ZANU-PF meeting when the decision was announced, reports the

First Lady Grace Mugabe aka Gucci Grace, has been expelled from the party altogether.

One senior official told the BBC that "it's the dawn of a new era. Mugabe can go farming".

There are moves by parliament to impeach Mugabe in the next couple of days if he doesn't resign.

ZANU-PF has given Mugabe until mid-day on Monday to resign.

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According to sources in Zimbabwe, Mugabe will consider his party's "no confidence" vote and step down as president.

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The president's ruling party will meet today, Sunday November 19, 2017, to pass a vote of no confidence on Mugabe.

The ZANU-PF party will also endorse all resolutions reached by nine provinces of the party who want Mugabe removed as president.

"Yes we are meeting (Sunday) to endorse the decisions of the nine provinces," said the party official who confirmed that a further region had called on Mugabe to go since Friday night's announcement.

"We are also recalling him as the president and first secretary of the party," said the source who also declined to be named.

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Thousands of Zimbabweans take to the streets, demanding that Mugabe leaves power.

See link

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The army allows Robert Mugabe to attend a graduation ceremony at the Open University in Harare.

Here's that story.

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Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called on Mugabe to resign in the wake of the military takeover.

"In the interest of the people, Robert Mugabe must resign and step down immediately,” Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change, read from a prepared text.

Soldiers remain in place in front of government buildings and the situation is calmer in Zimbabwe at the moment.

"The soldiers appear relaxed, even smiling and chatting with onlookers", NAN reports.

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According to Reuters,"Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace and two key figures from her G40 political faction are under house arrest at Mugabe’s “Blue House” compound in Harare and are insisting the 93-year-old finishes his presidential term, a source said.

"The G40 figures are cabinet ministers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere, who fled to the compound after their homes were attacked by troops in Tuesday night’s coup, the source, who said he had spoken to people inside the compound, said".

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Via CNN: The US embassy in Harare on Thursday urged American citizens to remain calm and safe and "limit unnecessary movements." It said that while the US government "does not take sides in matters of internal Zimbabwean politics," it said it was deeply concerned by the military's actions.

"We call on Zimbabwean military leaders to exercise restraint, respect the rule of law, uphold the constitutionally-protected rights of all citizens, and to quickly return the country to normalcy," the embassy said.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed for "calm, nonviolence and restraint," deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement to CNN.

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There are talks between all parties in Zimbabwe aimed at midwifing a peaceful transition. Mugabe has been asked to step down and sources on the ground are saying he will, in the next couple of days.

According to CNN, "one source, a senior member of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party, said talks were underway with military leaders about an administration that includes the opposition, with the tacit backing of key regional allies.

"The source described the arrangement as a "a done deal," but there was no indication on Thursday that Mugabe plans to go quietly. The 93-year-old leader, who is under house arrest in Harare, has not made any public statement since the military took control on Wednesday".

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is reporting that a Catholic priest is mediating a potential political exit for Mugabe.

However, adds the story, "the 93-year-old is insisting he can only be removed via a party leadership vote

"Separately, opposition leader who has been receiving cancer treatment outside Zimbabwe, returned to Harare late on Wednesday, a party spokesman said, fuelling speculation about a post-Mugabe political settlement".

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ZANU-PF names Mnagngawa president

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There are unconfirmed reports that Mugabe will be asked to step down as soon as possible and his former Vice President--the same one he just sacked--sworn in as Zimbabwe's number one citizen.

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AU says situation in Zimbabwe has the makings of a coup

Guinean President Alpha Conde, who heads the AU, condemned “soldiers trying to take power by force”.

He added that “the African Union expresses its serious concern regarding the situation unfolding in Zimbabwe.”

Conde demanded “constitutional order to be restored immediately and calls on all stakeholders to show responsibility and restraint”.

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UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says everyone wants to see a stable and successful Zimbabwe.

"It is hard to say how this will turn out. Everyone wants to see a stable and successful Zimbabwe", said Johnson.

Johnson also came down hard on Mugabe for allegedly rigging elections through 37 years.

"All Britain has ever wanted for Zimbabweans is to be able to decide their own future in free and fair elections.

"Mugabe's consuming ambition was always to deny them that choice and this House will remember the brutal litany of his 37 years in office. The elections he rigged and stole, the murder and torture of his opponents, the illegal seizure of land, leading to the worst hyper-inflation in recorded history measured in the billions of percentage points and forcing the abolition of the Zimbabwean dollar."

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Namibia is concerned about the repercussions for the region.

"Namibia is concerned that the present situation in Zimbabwe creates uncertainty that is not conducive to peace, stability and consolidation of democracy in Zimbabwe and the region as a whole", CNN quotes the Namibian government as saying in a statement.

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World leaders react

World leaders have been reacting to the tense situation in Zimbabwe.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari asked the Zimbabwe military to respect democracy.

"Every attempt must be made to resolve all contentious issues by constitutional means in Zimbabwe to save the country from avoidable political instability," Buhari said.

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Tank convoys on the streets of Harare

According to AFP, several military tanks have been seen on the streets of Harare, the Zimbabwean capital.

Reuters reports that; "Soldiers seized the state broadcaster and a general appeared on television to announce the takeover. Armored vehicles blocked roads to the main government offices, parliament and the courts in central Harare, while taxis ferried commuters to work nearby. The atmosphere in the capital remained calm".

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Army places Mugabe under house arrest

South Africa President Jacob Zuma speaks to Mugabe, announces that embattled president is fine but under house arrest.

“President Zuma spoke to President Robert Mugabe earlier today who indicated that he was confined to his home but said that he was fine,” the South African government announced in a statement.

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Army sacks Mugabe's government

On Wednesday, November 15, the military made good its threat by stepping in.

The army said its action wasn't a takeover but an intervention aimed at flushing out the criminals within the government.

"We wish to assure the nation that his excellency the president... and his family are safe and sound and their security is guaranteed," read Major General Sibusiso Moyo, slowly.

"We are only targeting criminals around him who are committing crimes... As soon as we have accomplished our mission we expect that the situation will return to normalcy."

Moyo said "this is not a military takeover of government".

Full story here.

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Army chief warns that there'll be an intervention over ZANU-PF purge

On November 13, army chief Constantino Chiwenga warns that the army may well intervene if ZANU-PF doesn't stop the purge of members following the Vice President's sack.

"The current purging which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith," Chiwenga blared during a press briefing.

He added that; "We must remind those behind the current treacherous shenanigans that when it comes to matters of protecting our revolution, the military will not hesitate to step in."

Mnangagwa -- whose nickname is the "Crocodile" -- defiantly told Mugabe that the party was "not personal property for you and your wife to do as you please".

Full story here.

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Hecklers boo Grace Mugabe

As Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU-PF gets factionalised, some hecklers took to booing the president's wife at a rally.

Mrs. Mugabe shot back with: "If you have been paid to boo me, boo, go ahead... I don't care, I am powerful."

You can read that story here.

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Mugabe accuses his sacked VP of disloyalty

"It had become evident that his conduct in the discharge of his duties had become inconsistent with his official responsibilities," Information ministerSimon Khaya Moyo said in the statement announcing Mnangagwa's sack.

"The vice president has consistently and persistently exhibited the traits of disloyalty, disrespect, deceitfulness and unreliability," he added.

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Grace Mugabe kicks a fallen Mnangagawa

Never kick a man when he's down probably doesn't mean a thing for Mrs. Mugabe as she pours scorn on the sacked VP, accusing him of disloyalty.

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Mugabe fires his Vice President

On November 6, 2017, President Mugabe fired his Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, ostensibly to carve a succession pathway for his wife Grace Mugabe who has indicated interest in becoming the nation's president as Mugabe becomes increasingly frail.

Read the story here