hello, this is bbc news. the headlines. robert mugabe resigns as president of zimbabwe after 37 years in power. his resignation prompted wild celebrations on the streets of harare as his reign of political repression and economic chaos was brought to an end. today, it's victory. it's victory in our hearts, it's victory for our children! the country's ruling party, zanu—pf, say that emmerson mnangagwa, whose sacking led to the army's takeover, will be sworn in as president in the coming days. in other news: a promise of more money in the brexit divorce bill from the government, but only if trade talks begin next month. zimbabwe's leader for nearly forty years, robert mugabe, has resigned.

there were immediate scenes of jubilation in parliament and on the streets of harare when the announcement was made. the speaker read out a short letter which said mr mugabe, who's 93, was tendering his resignation with immediate effect. let's go to ben brown in harare. wild scenes of jubilation, wild scenes ofjubilation, absolute euphoria and the people i have been speaking to have been openly crying in the streets, they never thought they would see this day, never thought robert mugabe would actually resign. they thought if he was going to go he would have to be dragged kicking and screaming away from the presidency. there was the military ta keover last presidency. there was the military takeover last wednesday, the generals trying to persuade him to resign and he would not. his own

party zanu pf tried to persuade him to resign but he did not. he was set the deadline of midday on monday, he still refused to resign and the people came out onto the streets in tens of thousands on saturday urging him to resign but again he would not, only when the impeachment process began in the parliament and the end of his rule looked inevitable because it seemed inevitable because it seemed inevitable that parliament would pass that impeachment motion eventually, that is when he decided he would finally throw the towel, give into all pressure and end his 37 years in power. and why is there suchjubilation 37 years in power. and why is there such jubilation tonight, here 37 years in power. and why is there suchjubilation tonight, here in 37 years in power. and why is there such jubilation tonight, here in the capital and wide across the country, it is because robert mugabe has presided over misrule ready for 37 yea rs. presided over misrule ready for 37 years. the country economically has deteriorated, 15% poorer on average thanit deteriorated, 15% poorer on average than it was when he took over. there is 90% unemployment. they have had

in the past hyperinflation of 79,000,000,000% if you can imagine what that is like. and also political repression. well to go out onto the streets to even criticise robert mugabe would have earned imprisonment, reading, torture and maybe even murder. that is why they're celebrating, the new president will be sworn in tomorrow oi’ president will be sworn in tomorrow or thursday, emmerson mnangagwa, a man who has been a henchman of robert mugabe down the years and many people therefore sceptical about how much better he will be. this report on the dramatic events of the day. the country had been waiting for this moment for over 30 years. the announcement was hard to hear. notice of resignation... but this is what the speaker said. i, robert gabriel mugabe, hereby

formally tender my resignation as president of zimbabwe with immediate effect. my colleague, the bbc africa editor fergal keane, was in the chamber when the announcement was made. we are here right at the moment that they've heard that robert mugabe has resigned from the presidency, and you can hear it — cheering from mps and members of the public who have come here to witness what is happening. they didn't expect it and thought this could have been an elongated process of impeachment, but it hasn't happened. he's gone, it's over. scenes of wild celebration. inaudible. after 37 years and a promising start, it's an embarrassing end for one of africa's last... inaudible.

this is a good day for zimbabwe, a new era for our nation. 37 years with one president, it doesn't make any sense. i don't have anything to say, but i'm happy with this. mugabe was... i don't have any words to say now. there was an air of expectation earlier. parliament had resolved that if he wouldn't resign, he would be impeached. this is a people's project, we are a people's party. we believe in people's resolutions. what if it fails? it will never fail. the people have neverfailed. waiting in the wings is emmerson mnangagwa, a long—time assistant and vice president whom robert mugabe sacked just last week. the weight of expectation is now on him to fix this broken country. for now, zimbabweans are savouring the moment they thought would never come. mr mugabe is no longer the president of zimbabwe.

well travelling around the country in the past few days it has been ha rd to in the past few days it has been hard to find anyone who wanted robert mugabe to stay in power, the vast majority wanted him to go. now he finally has resigned under pressure from the impeachment process that was launched against him. some here will remember the early years of the mugabe rule fondly and will also remember the fa ct fondly and will also remember the fact that he was a liberation fighter, the leader of the war of independence against white minority rule. but mainly he will be remembered for the dramatic decline of this country under his leadership, economically, causing poverty, unemployment, billions of people leaving the country desperately seeking work and

employment elsewhere and desperately trying to escape the human rights abuses and political repression here. this report on the political life of mugabe from milton and cosy. robert mugabe fought against white minority rule. his tight grip on power earned him the title of being the oldest head of state in the world. the 93—year—old leader has beenin world. the 93—year—old leader has been in power since zimbabwe's independence in 1980. he has continued his life as an international statesman despite a diminishing reputation as the economy crumbled amid corruption and violence. his rise to power began in 1979. when the lancaster house agreement ended white minority rule. at first he protected minority

rights. but in the 2000 see changed tack, leading a chaotic land reform programme including redistributing land from white farmers without compensation. the economy collapsed with runaway inflation figures. the central bank printed money on a massive scale. supermarket shelves we re massive scale. supermarket shelves were empty. a loaf of bread would cost you trillions to buy. the misrule prompted widespread protests but it was the birth of the opposition mdc led by a trade unionist morgan tsvangirai who later entered into a power—sharing agreement with mugabe following a disputed election. the economic climate was unbearable, something it is still struggling to recover from. millions of people cross the border into neighbouring south africa

looking for a better life. he tried to pave the way for his wife grace mugabe to be his successor. the army found that unacceptable. saying that this is not a dynasty. well we have had a reaction from world leaders to the news that robert mugabe has now resigned. we heard from the british foreign minister theresa may said the resignation provides zimbabwe with the opportunity to forge a path towards freedom from oppression. and thatis towards freedom from oppression. and that is why people are celebrating here because they do believe it is the end of the brutal repression they have seen and the years of economic mismanagement but they are waiting to see what emmerson mnangagwa the next president will be like. he will probably be sworn in tomorrow or maybe thursday and will serve term only up until the next set of due next year. of course he

will be the zanu pf candidate but there will be candidates from the opposition including morgan tsvangirai from the mdc. let's talk to someone else who has been celebrating earlier. activist linda who was beaten and arrested and imprisoned onto the mugabe regime. this was her reaction. i cannot believe it and now i believe i did not suffer in vain. i suffered for a reason, i'm happy that he got incarcerated —— that i got incarcerated, it was for this day. i'm the happiest person under the sun right now because i always believed he would step down in my lifetime and it has happened. and now going forward it is time for the opposition to reorganise and ensure that we will have a government that ca res that we will have a government that cares for the people and everyone has to be included. it is a happy day today. independence is finally

here. did you ever think you would live to see this day? ironically i did because just two weeks ago i dreamt about stepping on top of mugabe's head. i even told my pa rents mugabe's head. i even told my parents that this is what i dreamt of and finally it has happened. what do you think was at that forced him to resign in the end, was at the beginning of the impeachment or the people power on the streets or was it zanu pf turning against him?|j believe it zanu pf turning against him?” believe it was the people power because all along he was disillusioned that people liked him but finally it has dawned on him but people were coerced and feared him and that is why he had support. i do not think he ever thought he would see that if his lifetime, people singing, let him go. he realised he

was not loved by the people. now go and bea was not loved by the people. now go and be a grandad. well that euphoric response earlier on to the news of the resignation of robert mugabe. lord peter hain of course was a prominent anti—apartheid activist in yea rs prominent anti—apartheid activist in years gone by and former foreign minister i think at the time of the land grabs when mainly white farmers we re land grabs when mainly white farmers were being taken over on to mugabe regime. what is your response to this dramatic news? great news for the people of zimbabwe. they have the people of zimbabwe. they have the chance now for a fresh start. i heard one describing it as their second independence compared with when robert mugabe won in 1980 and they had a landslide victory replacing white racist minority rule and greeted with delight by myself and greeted with delight by myself and many others who have struggled

in the anti—racist struggle in south africa and elsewhere. so i think now there is a chance under a new president, the vice president taking over, a chance for him now to lead the country in a different direction and realise its huge potential. destroyed by mugabe. are you surprised that robert mugabe went in this way because he had been under so much pressure but hejust seemed to be so stubborn that he would not give into any of the pressure and then finally he did. his sense self dignity and pride has always been very important to him, anyone who had met him as i had done initially getting on well with him in 1990 as minister for africa because getting on well with him in 1990 as ministerfor africa because he knew i had been involved in the anti—apartheid struggle. anyone who met him knew that he had a lot of stubborn pride in himself. but in the end his big mistake i think was

to try to create a mugabe dynasty in getting his wife extremely unpopular, in the country, and with the ruling zanu pf party that mugabe had controlled with an iron fist, that the party reacted against it and would not accept his wife being ushered in as his presidential replacement. and that was the source of the push within the party, i do not think you could describe it as a coup when the vice president takes over from the coup when the vice president takes overfrom the president coup when the vice president takes over from the president but i think that was when the party said we've had enough, the military said we have had enough. we're not going to put up with this although they have ruled with him and had supported him at times in murderous extermination of the opposition. notably in the mid—19 80s when they committed genocide on the people of one area and are subsequently the mdc which

won the presidential election in 2008 and then actually was coerced and violently assaulted into refusing to run in the second round. which left mugabe still holding office. so i think all of that gradually built up but it was his determination to create a family dynasty and protect himself that finally met his party gave up on him and the ruling elite gave up on him as well. and just briefly, can i ask you what the world needs to do now to help zimbabwe get back on its feet because frankly it is on its knees economically now. does the need to be investment and political support from the rest of the world? yes, provided the new president and i think he will commit the existing vice president, will take the country in a new direction, encourage international investment and adopt policies promoting full

employment. promoting investment in the country rather than simply enriching the elite, the ruling elite with mugabe at the top. i hope he will but his own record as the henchmen of robert mugabe and his enforcer in some of the most violent of his activities, that means he is going to have to change as well. i think that he will, he is very intelligent leader himself, i met him some years ago and i do think this is a moment in which zimbabwe can turn its back on the corrupt murderous mugabe rule, betraying the values of the freedom struggle that he wants so nobly lead and take the country in a new and hopefully rebuild the shattered economy, get the agricultural sector working again, maybe exporting food again instead of importing food aid. mugabe was, he destroyed so much, i

think there is now a chance for a new start in its history. good of you tojoin us, thank you new start in its history. good of you to join us, thank you for your time. and one of the farmers who was turfed out of this property under the mugabe regime joins turfed out of this property under the mugabe regimejoins us now. thank you so much for being here. just your response to the news that he has gone? he has gone and what an incredible day this is. when i heard, i got a message from one of the senators and ijust heard, i got a message from one of the senators and i just could heard, i got a message from one of the senators and ijust could not believe it. i phoned him and suddenly my heart started to swell. ijust suddenly my heart started to swell. i just could not suddenly my heart started to swell. ijust could not believe what suddenly my heart started to swell. i just could not believe what was happening. and i broke down actually, i went into the supermarket and bought a bottle of bubbly and coming out ijust broke down in tears and laughing and just the absolute relief of the fact that

finally after all these years, are pressing so many people in zimbabwe, he has gone are finished. it is over. just tell us if you would what under his regime was done to you and yourfamily? under his regime was done to you and your family? well we had such a terribly hard time, us and all farm workers, we were tortured, we were beaten, we had all sorts of awful things happen to us, broken bones, abduction, taken off to the darkest places. my mother—in—law with burning sticks thrust into her mouth to get us to withdraw from a court case taking our president to court, mugabe to court. we suffered under the debris and i think what we're seeing out here in the streets today is an end to that suffering. people

are so relieved that this suffering is over, the oppression gone. black, white, farmers, townspeople, rich people, poor people, we are celebrating, hugging each other, we're so excited about what has happened. and you know my wife just heard the army, as the announcement was made, the armyjust started to chant, there was such excitement about the army, in the army. everyone here together celebrating. good to talk to you. yes, everyone celebrating, black and white, young and old and people from all different political persuasions. that is the latest on this momentous day. back to you in the studio. with me is a relative of robert mugabe. and former adviser to morgan

tsvangirai. thank you for being here on this momentous day. just a quick reaction, a headline thought from you both on the developments today. well after