this is bbc news. lam ben i am ben brown reporting live from harare and the continuing crisis in zimbabwe. the news is that president robert mugabe has made a televised address in which he has refused to resign. he vowed to stay on in power until december, for the special congress of the ruling zanu—pf party. against some expectations that he would step down after huge pressure and the military takeover here last wednesday, he did not say anything about resigning and he did not even refer to it. it was a long and rambling speech. it will disappoint many people in this country who had marched against him yesterday, taking to the streets in their tens of thousands here in harare and also bulawayo, amid euphoric and joyful scenes because protesters believed the army had

finally toppled mr mugabe with his takeover. but in his address, mr mugabe said that military action in harare was not a threat to his authority as head of state. this is what he had to say. intergenerational conflict must be resolved through harmonised melding of old established players, as they embrace and welcome new rules. new ones through a well—defined sense of hierarchy and succession. indeed, all these matters will be discussed and settled at the forthcoming

congress, within the framework of a clear road map that seeks to resolve once and for all any other missions oi’ once and for all any other missions or contradictions that have affected oui’ or contradictions that have affected our party negatively. the congress is due in a few weeks from now. i will preside over its processes, which must not be repossessed by any axe calculated to undermine it. or to compromise the outcomes in the eyes of the public. that was robert mugabe addressing

the nation. there have been reports on one news agency that he had agreed to resign, but those turned out to be erroneous. he has not and many people have said for a very long time he is a stubborn man and so long time he is a stubborn man and so he has proved to be once again. in response to that speech tonight where he has refused to resign, the leader of the war veterans who fought alongside mr mugabe in the war of independence and liberation has said the impeachment process against the president must now begin if he will not resign, and he called upon people to take to the streets again as they did yesterday, on wednesday, to demand his resignation. this is his meeting earlier today with the generals. the military from the zimbabwe defence forces who launched this military ta keover forces who launched this military takeover against him last wednesday. these are the pictures from inside statehouse, the official residence. the generals again trying to persuade him to resign with some

dignity of his own free world, to leave office. but they failed in those attempts. and the alternative does now look like impeachment, which may begin on tuesday in the zimbabwean parliament. it would require a two thirds majority vote in both houses of the parliament to impeachment him as nobody knows how long the process might take. that's what our southern africa correspondence, a long—time observer who has met robert mugabe down the yea rs. we who has met robert mugabe down the years. we use surprised by his refusal to stand down —— were you surprised? well, in a general sense, i was, but in the true sense, i was not. because robert mugabe, as we have always known him, is a very tough man. he does not give in easily. there was no way, as far as

his history is concerned, he was going tojust his history is concerned, he was going to just voluntarily resign. given the events of the last week, there was no way that he would resign, having had meetings with the southern african development community envoys sent by president jacob zuma, two of them, the minister of defence, minister of intelligence, his own military chiefs were there, who he has known for years. he never gave an instrument those negotiations. and today, we saw that his party sacked him as head of zanu—pf. he still did not give them. so quite clearly, robert mugabe is still holding the idea that he has always held before. he wants to die in office. and we know that many people, notjust in zimbabwe, but across the region and across the continent, are disappointed by this no resignation

speech. yes, he is vowing to stay on at least for a few weeks. he talked about presiding over the zanu—pf party congress in december. which is extraordinary really since zanu—pf have just sacked or dismissed extraordinary really since zanu—pf havejust sacked or dismissed him extraordinary really since zanu—pf have just sacked or dismissed him as their party leader today and given him an ultimatum, where they said, if you don't resign by midday tomorrow local time, we are going to impeach you, or parliament is. it is almost as if he is not to anybody. yes, and that is exactly the point. president robert mugabe trusts his own instincts, he trusts his own thinking. he thinks that he is correct and the rest of the people wrong. and that is why he has not listened to anyone in that room and thatisif listened to anyone in that room and that is if they were telling him to resign, and there has never been any official confirmation of the

proceedings in those negotiations. but remember, there is a tank parked outside his house, he cannot go anywhere as freely as he would like. they only allowed to go to the university for that ceremony. so we are ina university for that ceremony. so we are in a predicament here and that is why this meeting that president zuma is going to attend in rwanda on tuesday, in angola, is important. the region is trying to figure out how to resolve the zimbabwe crisis. everybody had hoped robert mugabe would resign tonight, but that was to be. and the fact that it is not to be, how disappointing will that be for the people of zimbabwe, particularly the people of zimbabwe, particularly the people of zimbabwe, particularly the people who demonstrated in huge numbers here yesterday? we saw the euphoria, that is going to be replaced now, one representative zanu—pf said he was heartbroken. there is going to be heartbreak and

angen there is going to be heartbreak and anger. yes, very much and that is correct. for example, in south africa, there are millions of zimbabweans who are economic refugees here and they would quite like to go back home as soon as things are normal and the economy can grow again. because they believe pa rt can grow again. because they believe part of the collapse of the economy was created by the dictatorship of robert mugabe. but also, remember, there is this part of that community that still respects robert mugabe for the role he played in the liberation struggle against white minority rule. he was imprisoned for ten years, he fought his way through until zimbabweans gained their own independence in 1980. so there is a section of people who still respect him, it even though they want him to step down so that their lives can move on. and that is why we do not

have a gaddafi moment today. we don't have a gaddafi moment and i suppose maybe we have been writing robert gabby‘s political obituary today premature —— robert mugabe. let's be clear. robert mugabe has reached a cul—de—sac. whether he did not resign tonight and he stays on, it is quite clear that there is very little room for him to move on now. he isjust showing his deep little room for him to move on now. he is just showing his deep sense of commitment to what he believes in. he wants to stay in power. but there is no way he can survive this week, there is no way and bob way can go back to where it was last month, for example. so he is in a difficult place. i am sure you were wondering, where was mrs grace mugabe in those pictures? we saw the military officers. she triggered the sequence

officers. she triggered the sequence of events we have been following for the last few days. it was she who made the military decide that they are not going to support her potential rising to the top job. she was nowhere to be found today and we are wondering where she was at this crucial live tv speech. thank you very much for your analysis. our southern africa correspondent. it was a long and slightly strange speech from president macron to this evening. certainly not what most of the nation and maybe the world were expecting —— president robert mugabe. he said the military ta keover mugabe. he said the military takeover was not a threat to his authority as head of state and he talked about being around as head of country for the zanu—pf congress in december. this is what else he had to say. the way forward cannot be based on swapping, vying cliques

that ride roughshod over party rules and procedures. there has to be a net return to the guiding principles of our party. as enshrined in its constitution. which must apply early and equitably in all situations —— fairly and equitably. and before all members. the era of victimisation and arbitrary decisions must be put behind. so as we all embrace a new ethos predicated on the supreme law

of our party. that is robert mugabe with his televised address this evening in zimbabwe, resisting the pressure on him to resign that we have seen from the military, from zanu—pf, the ruling party here who have sacked him today as their party leader, and from the people who have demonstrated in the many thousands out on the streets yesterday, demanding that he resigned. let's talk to doctor sue onslow who has followed the career of robert mugabe and sheets from the institute of commonwealth studies in london. thank you very much. are you surprised that he has refused to bow to all that pressure and he is staying in thejob, for now to all that pressure and he is staying in the job, for now at least, technically still president of zimbabwe? i must admit, i listened to his address with growing disbelief, but thinking, he has done it again. i was thinking at lunchtime, this is going to be a very difficult president to oust

from office and he has proved me right yet again, i suppose, in that particular respect. i thought it was very interesting reading the press statement by the central committee, the decision this morning, that he has been dismissed as their leader, but not expelled from the party. he has raised the stakes yet again in saying that he wants to go in his own time and saying he will preside over the special congress which will be held on the 12th of december. i am going to be very interested tomorrow to see whether they will initiate proceedings which raises the stakes yet again. but your other point made reference to grace mugabe. she has been expelled from the party along with 19 other members of the group. she has been picked out as leader of the women's league. in other words, she has been

removed from the equation, com pletely removed from the equation, completely and utterly. and going through that long and rambling speech, he was making gestures of being penitent. and emphasising constitutionalism, the party was paramount. unity was paramount, learning from previous mistakes and arbitrary decisions that might have crept in here and there, he used that phrase. so this is a man listening to his own counsel and who isa listening to his own counsel and who is a long—standing taskmaster of political manipulation and determined that he will go, if you can, ata determined that he will go, if you can, at a point of his own choosing. now, that is of course increasingly constrained around him. emmerson mnangagwa, having replaced robert mugabe as president, first secretary of the party, is he going to choose this? he will go for the long game i think and say, if we can wait another couple of weeks, i would

think he is encouraging a constitutional and rule—bound procedure precisely because this is within african union structures and approaches. they may want to abide by the rules but the people out on the streets demonstrating here in harare yesterday, they are going to be hugely disappointed and angry. there has been a call for another big demonstration on wednesday. you just wonder how the anger is going to be channelled after tonight. that was my other thought immediately, i listened to the speech and i was in touch with my co—author and i said, speech and i was in touch with my co—authorand i said, i speech and i was in touch with my co—author and i said, i think this could get ugly. and that really troubles me. because as your previous commentators said, the hope, the euphoria, there was an

amalgam of euphoria and hope and expectation, in that massive demonstration and demonstrations elsewhere. in london as well. people's hopes riding high that there would be a symbolic shift in robert mugabe's departure and now there is a sense among some quarters of being cheated. some say, yes, the party is back united and moving forward , party is back united and moving forward, i would say it is a very complex surge of emotion is going on in harare right now. yes, and what about the impeachment process ? yes, and what about the impeachment process? that is what is being threatened by zanu—pf, the party that has dumped him as party leader. they have said he will be impeached because he will not resign. do you think parliament will do that and can do that and if they can, how quickly can they do that? well, that was the message coming

through should he not resign, that the chief whip zanu—pf would institute proceedings in parliament. and not only was there a decision to purge the g—force tielemans, but the g —force t purge the g—force tielemans, but the g—force t provincial party structures of the state have been removed and the team have been reinstated, so there has been a reconfiguration in parliament. a strong message sent by the party. what i don't know whether they would indeed decide to go for impeachment 01’ indeed decide to go for impeachment or whether one of the key deals find the scenes has been, ok, we will allow youtube reside over the special congress in december, which will lead to the formal succession choice, decided by the party, because robert mugabe has always said he personally could not designate his successor. so it would a lwa ys designate his successor. so it would always be a party decision. and it would seem to me that the

configuration of power in the army, also with emmerson mnangagwa in conversation also with south africa, has been to play a slightly longer game. but back to my earlier point. the need is for speed of political transition, the need for a stable decision, and environment, so they can decision, and environment, so they ca n start decision, and environment, so they can start to address the economic problems confronting zimbabwe. thank you very much indeed. doctor sue onslow, from the institute of commonwealth studies. let's just recap where we are on this extraordinary day in zimbabwe. after those demonstrations we were talking about on the streets yesterday, when there was a mood of great euphoria and a sense that people power had managed to topple robert mugabe.

that was the thought of the thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets. well, they have been frustrated and disappointed. and today, we had the zanu—pf central committee, we had the extraordinary news that they were dumping him as party leader. and there was an expectation when he made his speech this morning on television, on zbc, that he would announce his resignation. that was not to be and he said he is staying until the party congress next month. so at least for ep weeks. let's bring in oui’ least for ep weeks. let's bring in our southern africa correspondent in harare. you listened to that extraordinary speech, rather rambling at times from robert mugabe. we use surprised he has decided not to resign and he is staying put, this is classic,

stubborn robert mugabe? staying put, this is classic, stubborn robert mugabe ?m staying put, this is classic, stubborn robert mugabe? it was baffling. everybody expected one thing and yet it is the choreography 110w thing and yet it is the choreography now we're looking at. why did he not go then? his sense of himself, his dignity, is clearly fundamental to all of this. this is a 93—year—old who could have gone longer know —— long ago and organised a succession, how does he dig himself out of this hole? we know that zanu—pf, the party, has already abandoned him coming he knows that. though the night, perhaps it was about giving the general is the all clear. he was very explicit and he said at no point had his own sense of himself as the president been challenged. that there was no breaking the constitutional order. so he has given them the all clear. we all thought that was the moment he would say, and so, after today's extraordinary events and yesterday's public marches, i will go. but

perhaps we are being too hasty. perhaps we need to see this either asa perhaps we need to see this either as a staged event where perhaps in the next day or two he will resign, 01’ the next day or two he will resign, or maybe he will simply, stubbornly push zanu—pf to do what it has now said it will do tomorrow. tuesday in particular. to start impeachment proceedings. the thing about impeachment proceedings, one imaginesa impeachment proceedings, one imagines a quick vote in parliament and he is out, but it will take a bit longer and it could drag out for days, if not longer. so he can buy himself time. and he was very specific tonight about wanting to get to that party congress in december. and saying, i will preside. there was a little madness almost because clearly, the reality, the world has changed. in his bubble which is also clearly, this bubble of self—importance, of a man who has never been challenged. in this

context, 437 years. now he has got to find way to explain to himself that he has no power, at least in the party left. thank you very much indeed. andrew harding, our southern african correspondent. it seemed at times that robert mugabe is living ina times that robert mugabe is living in a parallel universe, especially when he said the military takeover was not a threat to his authority as head of state. but let's bring in the representative in the uk zanu—pf, the party that has dismissed mr mugabe as party leader. what was your reaction when you heard that speech, mr mnangagwa, and you heard he is not going to resign? i waited with bated breath, hoping at some point the speech would take at some point the speech would take a turn and i would think, ok, we are getting there now. but as i

continued to listen, he was basically saying, we have learned lessons. hello! you have learned lessons. hello! you have learned lessons for how long? after how long? and to do what? within what time you have? and at what age? it did not make sense. and also, the fa ct did not make sense. and also, the fact that he completely ignored today's events, ignored them or he did not even know that he is no longer the zanu—pf leader. he is no longer the zanu—pf leader. he is no longer the zanu—pf leader. he is no longer the first secretary and president, somebody else has been put in place of him. he is not aware that over 200 members of his own central committee, out of 300, dismissed him. and he believed that he could just walk into that congress and chair it and steer it his way as he normally does. it was like he is lacking awareness of

where he was and who was surrounding him. because totally, the pressure from the commanders seemed to not have brought any end results. nothing. so i don't know. but the point still remains. it does not change that president robert mugabe, is he still is, is no longer the president zanu—pf, no longer the first secretary of zanu—pf. he will not preside over the congress that is coming. and he was trying to articulate his own agenda for that congress. he is not going to articulate an agenda for that congress is the agenda has been set by the central committee today, which has nothing to do with the issues he is raising. the issues that are coming to the zanu—pf constitution, they have been set today by the right central committee. and we no longer have

that power he is trying to use to impose well. we're running out of time, but thank you very much for your analysis. from zanu—pf, the zanu—pf representative in london. with his analysis of what has been an extraordinary speech from president robert mugabe, and he is still president robert mugabe, the oldest head of state still at the age of 93. he has refused to bow to pressure from the people, from the party, from the army, for him to resign. he is staying in office. stubbornly, some would say. but that is the very latest from harare. you are watching bbc news. it may have been a cold weekend, but it ended on a final note for many today, a lot of dry weather around and sunshine as we can see from these pictures from the isle of wight to orkney. a lot of cloud

moved into western part of the uk so thatis moved into western part of the uk so that is going to wind out over night. after a chilly start across eastern parts, temperatures rise tonight with the cloud moving in and rein in northern ireland, scotland, northern england, wales and the midlands and east anglia. light and patchy in southern england. still some cold air in place in scotland. as the wet weather moves in, we will see some snow. the hills, north of the central belt, bob 400 m and a messy start to monday across scotla nd messy start to monday across scotland with rain and heavy rain in places. the higher you go, north of the central bolt. outbreaks of rain in northern ireland, northern england and eastern england. for much of southern england, the midlands and wales, the overnight rain is light and patchy. but plenty of cloud. look how mild it is to start the day! so different from how sunday started. on monday, after a wet start for some, gradually

turning drier. it takes a while to get rid of the rein in northern england but it improves in the afternoon, brighter breaks to the east of high ground in the uk possible. a lot of cloud through the day. patchy light rain and drizzle into the afternoon in some spots. most of us will be milder but still single figure temperatures in scotland. this is monday evening, a lot of cloud —— a lot of cloud, patchy rain. the cloud moves through northern england and in the scotland through the night and into tuesday. milderair through the night and into tuesday. milder air eventually reaching scotla nd milder air eventually reaching scotland means any snow turning the rain across most of the hills during tuesday. the wind is picking up across the board and more rain working south east across england and wales through tuesday. temperatures higher even in scotland. but elsewhere, 12—14d. the big picture tuesday and wednesday, dominated by low pressure. the wind is getting stronger. the second half of the week quite turbulent. low pressure giving wet and windy

conditions at at times. this week, it is turning milder with quite a bit of wet weather around and midweek, wet and windy. hello. this is bbc news. the president of zimbabwe, robert mugabe, clings on to power afterfailing to announce his resignation in flanked by military chiefs, he said he intended to chair the congress of the ruling zanu—pf party next month. in doing so, he defied an ultimatum by the party to resign by tomorrow. the leader of zimbabwe's war veterans says plans to impeach the 93—year—old will go ahead, with demonstrations expected on the streets of the capital harare on wednesday. in other news, police say a postmortem examination carried out on the body of the teenager, gaia pope, hasn't identified any injuries to suggest another person was involved in her death. more now on our top story, in an extraordinary day in zimbabwe,

president robert mugabe has not resigned from power despite pressure on him to do so from within his own party. atjust after 7 o'clock london time, president mugabe made a televised address from his state residence, flanked by military men.