The Speech provoked anger and disbelief among many Zimbabweans, fuelling concerns that Mugabe could face a violent backlash. His once -loyal ZANU-PF party - who has already sacked him and told him to resign as head of state- had warned it would seek to impeach him if he failed to quit by midday (1000 GMT), The party's lawmakers, who will be needed to initiate any impeachment process , are expected to meet at 1400 GMT.
The Army said it would make a statement in response to the crisis triggered by Mugabe's refused to go , Mugabe's speech capped an extraordinary weekend that saw Zimbabweans celebrate and vent their anger in ways that would have been brutally repressed just a week ago. But their joy quickly turned to despair as Mugabe brushed aside the turmoil, blithely declaring he would chair a top -level meeting of the Party that had just disavowed him.
Chris Mutsvangwa , head of the influential war veterans's association , called for less restrained protests than those staged at the weekend in an effort to dislodge Mugabe . " This time there will be a sit- in. We are not going to be leaving Harare until this guy is gone," he said Monday, as he also threatened legal action against the president. "He's lost his marbles." Though Mugabe has struggled with public speaking in recent years, the wily statesman appeared alert as he delivered his address. Mugabe seemed unfazed in his speech and made no reference to the hostile chorus calling for him to go , describing last week's dramatic military intervention as ' no threat' to his rule. Chris Vandome , an analyst at the Chatham House think-tank , said, " They will start impeaching him , that is certainly the will of the military, but it's increasingly now the will of the people," the told AFP.