Members of Zimbabwe’s parliament will vote today on whether to impeach President Robert Mugabe, the ruling Zanu-PF party said, after he failed to obey its ultimatum to step down.
“The party has instructed the chief whip to proceed with impeachment proceedings against (Robert Gabriel) Mugabe as it has not received the anticipated confirmation of his resignation from the speaker of parliament,” Zanu-PF said in a statement yesterday.
“The motion of proceedings is expected to be tabled before parliament on Tuesday.” 
The midday deadline set for President Robert Mugabe to resign passed yesterday with no word from the 93-year-old leader.
“We want all systems ready when we get into Parliament on Tuesday that is why we have asked all MPs to come and get familiar with the process,” Zanu-PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke told DPA.
Zanu PF central committee member Paul Mangwana said the process could take as little as 48 hours.
However Lovemore Madhuku, a law professor at University of Zimbabwe, told DPA that the impeachment proceedings could last anywhere between 72 hours and several months.
“There are three stages involved. The motion would be moved. Then a committee would be set to investigate the charges, and both the houses, the parliament and senate will vote,” Mangwana explained.
Earlier, Zanu-PF released details of its proposed motion against Mugabe.
“We are gravely concerned that the president has become the country’s source of instability by his indiscriminate and continuous dismissal of members of his cabinet — including two vice presidents in the past four years on allegations of plotting to assassinate him and forcibly take over power,” the motion reads.
The expelled vice presidents referred to are Joice Mujuru and Emmerson Mnangagwa.
It also mentions Mugabe’s poor management of the economy and his abrogation of “his constitutional mandate to his wife” Grace.
David Coltart, a prominent opposition leader and former minister, said a two-thirds majority was needed to impeach the nonagenarian.
Douglas Mwonzora from Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) also said the party would support Mugabe’s impeachment.
“We have the numbers in parliament and will support any democratic process to have Mugabe impeached,” he said.
Mugabe has been under house arrest since a military takeover last week.
In a live televised address to the nation on Sunday night, the president of almost four decades had been expected to resign, but instead promised to lead a Zanu-PF party conference in December.
With the generals responsible seated next to him, Mugabe gave a lengthy speech acknowledging some problems with the economy and the Zanu-PF party — from which he was ousted earlier in the day — but made no mention of leaving office.
Shocked Zimbabweans took to Twitter to express their outrage, and yesterday the powerful war veterans’ association held a press conference calling for mass protests tomorrow.
“I hope that 37 years into (his) rule he doesn’t want another 37 seconds of rule,” said war veterans’ leader Chris Mutsvangwa.
On Sunday, Mugabe was sacked as Zanu-PF party leader and replaced by one-time comrade turned arch-rival Mnangagwa.
“Arrogant Mugabe disregards Zanu-PF,” screamed yesterday’s headline in local newspaper the Daily News.
In an unprecedented outpouring, tens of thousands of Zimbabweans had taken to the streets on Saturday to express support for the military and call on Mugabe to leave power immediately.
University students have joined calls for Mugabe to step down, with protests at the main university in Harare.
The students are also demanding that a doctorate given to first lady Grace Mugabe be revoked.
“Mugabe should resign now because he has returned our education to Stone Age era. We also want our degree, which Grace stole,” said student leader Steven Tsikirai.


University of Zimbabwe students take part in a demonstration in Harare yesterday to demand the withdrawal of Grace Mugabe’s doctorate and refused to sit their exams as pressure builds on Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe to resign.