21/11/2017 Outside Source

Hello, I'm Ros Atkins,

this is Outside Source on the day

Robert Mugabe resigned.

He's led Zimbabwe for 37 years -

but with parliament

about to impeach him,

the President jumped

before he was pushed.

And joyous celebrations followed.

They are dancing in the streets

of Harare tonight -

releasing years of pent up

frustration at Mugabe's

increasingly autocratic rule.

This is the man likely to take over.

Two weeks ago Emmerson Mnangagwa

was sacked as vice president.

In the next 48 hours we expect him

to become President.

Plus the long-time opposition leader

Morgan Tsvangirai tells the BBC

what should happen to the man he's

fought for years.

I think let him go and rest will

stop I do not feel any ill will.

Robert Mugabe's

Presidency is history.

As members of Zimbabwe's

parliament began debating

whether to impeach the President -

the Speaker of Parliament

interrupted - he had a letter

of resignation to read.

I, Robert Mugabe, under the

Constitution of section one in

Zimbabwe, tender my resignation as

the president of the Republic of

Zimbabwe with immediate effect.

Mr Mugabe's letter said his decision

was taken to allow a smooth

transition of power -

and that it was voluntary.

Voluntary's one word for it -

unavoidable is another.

Mr Mugabe refused to resign

after last week's military takeover.

He refused to resign after mass

protests at the weekend.

He refused to resign

when he was sacked by his

own party on Sunday.

And he ignored a deadline

to go on Monday.

He even called his normal cabinet

meeting for Tuesday.

But there's nothing normal

about this Tuesday.

The pressure told and his 37

years as President ended.

And look at these pictures

from Harare as the news

started to spread.

This was inside the parliament.

You can see people punching the air,

clapping and singing. Some people

even started dancing.

This was outside.

People poured out onto the streets

to celebrate the departure of a man.

And on streets all over

the city - and the country.

People have been celebrating.

The tanks are hugely significant, we

don't know if we would go to this

point if they had not intervened

last week.

Reuters news agency reports that

Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa -

the former and briefly exiled

vice-president - will be sworn

in as president on either

Wednesday or Thursday,

They say he will serve

until the next election

due by September 2018.

Let's be clear - Robert Mugabe

has his supporters in Zimbabwe -

and across Africa.

Here's one of his party's MPs.

It came as a surprise, but it was

also quite sudden. What was

interesting that when the letter was

read out, only half of the house was

actually celebrating. Almost every

Zanu-PF MP was actually in tears. A

lot of people were crying. We still

love our leader and we did not want

our leader to go out this way

because it felt like things could

have been done in a much better way.

Ben Brown has been covering this

story all day. Then, is the party

still going?

It is still going! I

think it will be going on all night.

Let's just paint a quick picture of

where we are. He can see lots of

people singing and dancing and they

had pain been since that

announcement. -- they have been.

This was a day they never thought

they would see. Let's just talk to

one of the crowd. What is your

reaction? How do you feel about the

news that Robert Mugabe has

resigned?

To be honest with you we

are too excited. I think we should

only get excited with the answer to

change. Yes, he has resigned, but

INAUDIBLE

May they not be selfish so that we

as Zimbabweans can get a better

economy, social and economic change.

Can we change together?

URL happy

man?

I am very happy. In fact all

the days of my life I have been

waiting for this day. It helps us to

keep Zimbabwe precious and I think

we are the best.

Thank you. What an

incredible day here in Harare. An

incredible moment in Zimbabwean

history. After 37 years, no one

thought Robert Mugabe would just

resign. He was under intensifying

pressure ever since that military

takeover. He was under pressure from

the Army. He was under pressure from

his own political party. Zanu-PF.

And he was under pressure from the

people here. But it was only when

those impeachment proceedings began

in the parliament behind me that he

finally decided to throw in the

towel, give up and resign. Back to

you in the studio.

Thank you.

Hundreds and hundreds of people

still out on the streets. Let's

consider what has happened. Nancy

Kacungira is the presenter of focus

in Africa. It has been a curious

affair. A coup d'etat that wasn't

quite a coup d'etat. A political

compulsion of a president but not

his party. What you make of it?

Cheery as is the word and already

there are suggested movie post is

going around to this saga. Because

it does play out like a movie. This

is a reign of 37 years that has

unfolded in two weeks. This all

started when Emmerson Mnangagwa was

fired as vice president and that was

that when we got the first wind that

something was afoot. A warning was

sent to President Mugabe that he was

going down the wrong path. Of

course, now we know that this can

all be down to the move Grace Mugabe

was making to become his successor.

That is when things began to

unravel. Even when the military

stepped in, they were very

categorical saying this is not a

two-day car, we're asking him to do

the right thing and step aside. --

coup d'etat. And he does not resign.

He actually says he will have a

cabinet meeting to address some of

the things that have been brought to

his attention. So, it has not

unfolded in the way anyone expected.

Many thought that he would only

leave when he died.

Had we

understand that a man who is an all

these years building a power

structures suddenly looked around

and found it wasn't there any more?

There are different theories about

that. One is the power structure

that held in place in the first

place and they only removed him

because it wasn't suitable for them

any more to continue having him in

power. That is one theory. But the

other theory is that no one saw this

coming. That the military didn't

intend to stage a coup, they just

intended to stage a warning.

Really?

Like I say, is just a theory that is

out there. But no one is really

quite sure how we got to this point.

But a lot of people are happy that

it got to this point and that

changes come to Zimbabwe.

What do

the other African nations in the

African union make of all this?

After all, it is not the most

obvious of democratic transitions.

I'm willing to bet my socks, and I'm

not wearing any! Every group in

Africa is talking about this in some

shape or form. There are some in

Uganda and Kenya, all over the

place, everyone is talking about

this. In so many dimensions, this is

historic. People are drawing

comparisons with their own countries

and I am leaders. Lessons are being

drawn about the trajectory that the

continent is taking. Coming on the

heels of so many long serving

leaders in one way or another

leading power, many people feel that

a wave of change, is maybe not

sweeping across the continent, but

at least lapping on the shores.

Nettie, stay with us. -- Nancy. Send

questions our way and she will help

as answer them.

So what happens now?

The political crisis was sparked

by the sacking of this man -

Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

He fled the country -

but he's now expected

to become President -

perhaps as soon as tomorrow.

He knows plenty about

the man he's replacing.

He was once Mr Mugabe's bodyguard.

He's also served

as security minister.

Here are some Zimbabweans

on the prospect of him taking over.

At the moment we are not worried, as

long as it is not Mugabe. We will

see what is to come for us. We are

going to vote next year, we want

elections. From there we will choose

what we want. Mugabe is gone

forever.

We are free, great kudos to

General Chiwenga. These are great

people that did a great job to see

and make sure that he went.

We have

to ensure that from this day forward

we will push the democratisation

agenda. We will push our

Constitution and it will be amended

so that those superpowers that the

president has in the constitution

will be limited. That is what we

need going forward. We need a leader

not a ruler.

There are concerns

about what will follow.

The British satirical show

Have I Got News For You makes

a point many have raised.

A Tweet from @haveigotnews

"President Mugabe resigns in order

to finally clear the way

for a new era of corruption

and vicious power struggles."

And this is from the South

African online news site

the Daily Maverick -

"Beware crocodile Mnangagwa -

Zanu-PF is not renewing,

it is a snake shedding

its old skin."

Also, worth noting that

Mr Mnangagwa played

a controversial role

as the country's spy

master during the internal

conflict of the 1980s.

He's accused of being responsible

for the deaths of thousands

of civilians in a part of Zimbabwe

called Matabeleland -

that's a claim he's always denied.

The point is we can't say this guy

is a clean break.

Know we can't. He

has been at his side since the

beginning. He is been a minister

since the 1980s in some shape or

form. Some of the things he is

accused of doing, asides

Matabeleland, is being very involved

in reading elections in favour of

Mugabe. This is the kind of

chequered history that people are

very concerned about.

Helping

understand why no one seems to be

focusing on the fact that he is

about to become president and that

potentially could not be the

euphoric moment that Zimbabweans

Mark?

As one of the Zimbabwean

journalists followed treated, he

said give us a break and give us a

moment, let us just enjoy this

moment that many of us thought we

would never see. Mugabe is famously

known for saying that only divine

intervention will remove him from

power. That is he would only leave

when he died will stop it turned out

that it was military intervention

and a lot of people are processing

that still. They never thought this

moment would come. So they are

enjoying that before they think

about what is next.

I guess the fact

that there are already elections

scheduled for September next year

helps, because it is not too long

until everyone gets a say in what is

happening.

There is an end in sight.

A lot of people are happy to say we

will take Emmerson Mnangagwa until

we can get stability and an

election, hopefully a free, fair and

democratic election in 2018. That is

what people are hoping for. They

hope will be enough pressure on

Emmerson Mnangagwa to not be Robert

Mugabe.

Thank you. Nancy presents

Focus On Africa. In a few minutes we

will turn away from Zimbabwe because

we will hear about the Syrian leader

visit to Vladimir Putin and how

those efforts are close to be done.

We will look at that.

Northern Ireland's border is being

used as a bargaining chip in the

Brexit negotiations according to the

leader of the DUP, Arlene Foster.

She has accused Ireland and the rest

of the EU are being callous and that

this -- careless and reckless. She

says she is ready to move the talks

forward.

I am accusing them of being

reckless, because if you listen to

some of the rhetoric, nobody

understands negotiations probably

better than I. People come out and

try and push agendas forward and we

do recognise that we are a critical

phase because I certainly want to

see the negotiations moved to the

second phase so that we can talk

about those issues of trade and the

issues that will make a difference

in relation to the border between

Northern Ireland and the Republic of

Ireland. It is almost a false battle

because the detail will come about

when we're talking about the trade

issues.

This is Outside Source live

from the BBC newsroom.

Our lead story is...

He's led Zimbabwe for 37 years -

but with parliament

about to impeach him,

the Robert Mugabe jumped

before he was pushed.

Moving away from Zimbabwe. Vladimir

Putin and Assad has had a meeting.

It is the first time they have seen

each other since 2015 and a lot of

happened since then. In particular,

Russia's military intervention in

Syria on the heart of the Syrian

Government. Mr Putin says he does

want a political solution to the

war. He is also talking about

Russia's main mission being almost

accomplished. Heels are added,

things to the Russian army, Syria

has been saved as a state. Not

everyone would agree with that

analysis. Assad spent four hours on

Russian soil and this image has been

widely shared of them sharing and

embrace. Vladimir Putin almost

looking eternal as he holds

President Assad. To analyse this we

have ten to two Outside Source

regulars.

Unfortunately we don't

know what is happening in Vladimir

Putin's head. That is the skill that

is needed and wanted by many people

around the world. Russia, and

especially Cuban want to show

Russian progress in Syria. --

Vladimir Putin. Many analysts say he

wants to finish this campaign before

the next presidential elections in

March next year.

And also to remind

Assad how crucial he is to the

Syrian government.

Judging by the

photo we have all seen, Assad knows

how much he owes Vladimir Putin. It

is what they discussed on ricin

social media as well in other

countries. -- Russian. No one on the

official Syrian side disputes the

role that Russia has played in that

conflict.

Sebastian, Russia has

undoubtedly change the situation in

Syria. Would you agree with the

analysis that it is safe the Syrian

state? Your

not as the conflict

started, as it mutated and went on

and became essentially a series of

battlefields without a clear plan or

structure from the opposition rebel

side. When Islamic State entered. It

almost follow the lines that

President Assad said right at the

start, that without him, terrorism

will come in. There are also the

reason why that happened. President

Assad himself with instrument when

that, quite possibly. What the

Russians did saved him. It prevented

the other outcome which might have

been that the rebels would have

defeated him or at least have enough

of a territory to put him in a very

difficult position. That has been

changed. That narrative essentially

has proved to be true but it is

truth in a way that has been

manipulated to be true. But you

can't say it now, the US, France,

the Western world are very much

onlookers in the way Russia has

mulled this, the Iranians have more

than this. -- moulded this.

President Assad has shown how

beholden he is to President Putin.

He doesn't look as though she is

going anywhere. Will the US and

France still be demanding that he

does not continue.

If Russia were to

draw back Sebastian, that would

leave President Assad with some

significant enemies within Syria.

His problem in military terms has

aways been that his army is not

strong enough. Not strong enough to

hold onto the places he took. Now,

there is not a strong enough

opposition against him, not strong

enough rebel groups to challenge.

There are areas the south of the

country where there are attempts,

through the Russians, there is a

summit for example which is

happening tomorrow. President Putin

with the Turkish and Iranians

attending it and they can discuss

these deconstruction zones to stop

fighting in each area. That would

dent allow the Russians... -- D you

have occurred, what will happen to

them? Backed by the US, will they

pull back of a league Syrian

government go after them.

The

Russians had to fight for once

again, so the Syrian army is

definitely entirely motivated.

It is

not strong enough, but it Islamic

state has no ability to hold onto

towns and villages in the country,

they are not able to challenge the

Syrian Government in that way, it

was only really Islamic State that

could mount a challenge to the

Syrian government troops. And their

allies.

Back to the resignation of

Zimbabwe leader. This article runs

down the arguments are him being a

hero or villain. If you take the

later view, one of the things set me

that he is blamed for is ruining

them but I's economy. This is a

tweet from the Financial Times...

Let's look at some of those grass

from the Financial Times. This one

interesting, it shows the GDP per

capita of a lot of African countries

and then the same countries in 2016.

The obvious example that jumps out

here is Zimbabwe. Look at the

figures from 1997 and look at the

degree to which the economy has

shrunk in those intervening years.

We also have a lot of statistics to

tell you. In 2011, 20 1% of people

were estimated to be living in

extreme poverty, less than $2 a day.

47% were living on less than $3 a

day. And on and on the statistics

go. They are from the World Bank by

the way. Also, Zimbabwe's biggest

trade union said that unemployment

is around 90%. This is the view of

one economist today who says that

Zimbabwe is running out of the money

it needs to pay its debts.

As we

speak, the Zimbabwean economy only

has less than one month of import

cover for international reserves.

The international benchmark is 3-4

months of import cover, bit of the

severe liquidity crisis that has

faced the economy, it is up to the

point that there is virtually no

money to support the payment coming

in. You have had people who

ordinarily would have transacted

business stepping back a little bit

because they are just not too sure

when they will get paid and they are

not too sure if they will get paid

at all and they can take the money

outside of the economy.

Nancy is

still here. Robert Mugabe and his

colleagues would say part of these

problems would be down to how we

were treated by the international

community.

That is one big argument

of theirs. That, if everybody had

not abandoned us, if sanctions were

not imposed, if we were able to

trade freely and continue to do

business, we would not have these

problems without currency, with

unemployment, with being able to

export and trade. Again, this is

what they used to lend credence to

their actions in terms of giving

land back to the people, the way

they put it. And taking back the

country, so to speak. In that way,

they can make arguments that their

economic performance has been linked

to the way they have been sanctioned

against.

Whatever the rights and

wrongs of what has happened, to be

blunt about the future, they'll be

some countries and companies that

see today as part of a big economic

opportunity.

That is absolutely

true. Already we have seen

Government saying that we are

willing to support Zimbabwe and work

with a new Zimbabwe. This is when

the rubber hits the road, because

we'll will start to see in the

coming days, weeks, months and years

how much of this is a systemic

problem. People on the street are

saying now I can get a job and have

an opportunity. But it will take

more than getting rid of President

Mugabe to fix a system that might be

completely broken all very broken.

It will be up to the next leader to

fulfil those very high expectations

on the street with this very

realistic world that deals with hard

currency that Zimbabwe does not have

enough of.

Lest we forget that

Robert Mugabe's party remains in

power, it has a president and

majority in the lower and upper

house. It has tried to put distance

between itself and Mr Mugabe. But in

reality, how much was Mr Mugabe

dictating what Zanu-PF stood for?

This is the very question. He

perhaps the situation in the last

two days might tell us about that.

The economic situation is not new to

Zimbabwe. We have been talking about

this a very long time. In 2008

hyperinflation hit... It did not

make Zanu-PF say wait a minute, we

need to disarming about this. Many

said though that they could not take

Grace Mugabe is the successor. That

will give a lot of people pause to

think, is this going to be a change

or is this just about a palace coup?

IV factions in Zanu-PF now fighting

against each other only to continue

the same system. It is a sobering

thought but a thought in many minds

as the celebrations go one.

It has

been quite a day.

Yes it has.

Remember, much more information on

Zimbabwe coming up in the second

half of Outside Source, and on the

BBC news app, I will be back in a

few minutes time.

It is time we updated you on a

number of stories from right across

the world, and we will start off in

Canada and the USA. Two areas of low

pressure will provide different

conditions over the next few days.

One in the west, wet and mild, and

one of the Hudson Bay, something its

way towards eastern Canada will

eventually produce a real taste of

winter. But in the short-term,

Wednesday again looks to be another

wet and windy affair for the western

side of Canada and the Pacific

Northwest of the USA. Several

hundred millimetres of rain could

fall here before this event

goes away it will be around for one

or two days yet. It is a radical

ahead of that low pressure on the

eastern side of Canada as the cold

air comes down. There will be some

lake effect snow and we will keep a

close eye on that. After a quiet

start to the week in Florida it

could end on a wet night. Also in

South America, but across this

diagonal to the western side of

Colombia, and again anywhere along

that route could see 50-100

millimetres of rain falling in 24

hours. No problems across the New

Zealand, high-pressure selling

things of the rest of the week, one

of two showers around. There will be

showers from the start of the Test

match, England versus Australia, the

start of the Ashes in Brisbane could

be affected by the showers. We have

already seen more than showers

across Indonesia. There is an

enhancement of this monsoon that has

caused real issues. The frontal

system has worked through Japan by

Thursday, letting in cold air which

is already there across the Korean

peninsula and widely across China.

These temperatures, many should be

several degrees higher. Rain has

been a real issue across south-east

Asia since the weekend. 200

millimetres falling on Vietnamese

coast and widely through Malaysia

down towards Singapore, we're

expecting more rain to come after a

bright spell. Some of that came from

near India. It moved through

south-east Asia across the Bay

bangle and maybe become another

storm. We will keep you posted on

that. By our eyes those temperatures

look higher, but the north-western

corner of India and across the board

into Pakistan is on the cold side

for the time of year both by day and

night. We are about to see a drop in

temperatures across the northern

areas of the Middle East. These

northerly winds will follow one

behind this feature in the Gulf that

will put a dent in these

temperatures, quite widely across

the north of the Middle East. No

such problems in the short term here

in the British Isles for most of us.

We picking up our hair way down in

the Atlantic, mild and moist to say

the very least. -- air. More on that

in just a few minutes.

Hello, I'm Ros Atkins,

this is Outside Source,

on the day Robert Mugabe resigned.

He's led Zimbabwe for 37 years -

but with parliament

about to impeach him,

the President jumped

before he was pushed.

And celebrations followed.

They are dancing in the streets

of Harare tonight -

releasing years of pent up

frustration at Mugabe's

increasingly autocratic rule.

This is the man likely to take over.

Two weeks ago Emmerson Mnangagwa

was sacked as vice president.

In the next 48 hours we expect him

to become President.

Plus the long-time opposition leader

Morgan Tsvangirai tells the BBC

what should happen to the man he's

fought for years.

I don't have any ill will at all.

Lots of reaction to

this as you'd imagine.

The UK Prime Minister Theresa May

released this statement.

And this is British

Foreign Minister.

Of course, we have to wait and see

exactly how this unfolds.

But at first sight, this is a moment

of hope for Zimbabwe.

For 37 years, they have

been languishing under

the rules of a despot who has

impoverished their country.

What we hope now is that this

will be a turning point,

a moment when they can go forwards

to free, fair, democratic

elections next year,

and that is what we will be

encouraging, together

with the rest of our friends

and partners in the region.

That was the foreign

minister of Britain -

Britain has a long history with

Zimbabwe, it was the colonial power.

In terms of the country investing at

the moment, it is China.

Here's the analysis of an expert

from the Chatham House think tank

on how events are being seen

in Beijing and how the two

nations became so closely

linked in the first place.

It comes from the liberation war for

the independence of Zimbabwe from

Rhodesia. Zanu-PF, the party of Mr

Mugabe tried to cosy up with the

Soviets at the tail end of the Cold

War, but they weren't interested so

in 1979 they went to China, who

supported the gorilla warfare of

Mugabe's rebels.

Why did China do

that?

There was Cold War wive

already with the Soviets too -- wive

already. -- rivalry.

It was

initially about ideology and mature

progress but as the years went by it

became more about the economy.

It's

not about ideology at all now. A

little bit about why worry with the

West because the European Union and

the West imposed sanctions on

Zimbabwe so the Chinese in response

stepped up their engagement with Mr

Mugabe -- a little bit about

rivalry. It is about a fundamentally

and the extraction of natural

resources. The main export of

Zimbabwe is tobacco but also

diamonds and there is a mining

industry in Zimbabwe, platinum and

other things which I think in the

long term the Chinese will be

interested in.

Is it part of China's

wider plan to expand its influence

in China?

Yes, it's part of that but

that's not overestimate the

importance of Zimbabwe for China. It

isn't like Angola, the second or

third largest source of oil, it

isn't like others, it isn't a

strategic country for China and I

think some of the reporting has been

misplaced in making it seem so.

Will

it be poring over every detail of

what happens after Mr Mugabe or will

China be relaxed?

Not at all, there

has been a convergence of what the

British and Chinese government wants

in Zimbabwe, the rule of law,

stability, enabling business

environment for investment.

Diversions would be the government

and human rights but the rule of law

and predictability of institutions

is common ground for both, both want

to see commercial progress which is

what the people within Zanu-PF want

too. They want progress, the economy

is in an appalling situation and

drastic measures need to be taken,

hence the pressure for Mugabe to

leave.

There is a sense that the

Chinese are making more progress

than the Americans in expanding

their influence in Africa, is that

accurate?

Over the last 15 years the

Chinese have significantly scaled

up. There are between one and two

Chinese on the continent, a

significant number and over the last

6-8 months, the Chinese have

increased their military footprint

including significantly at the end

of last year they are opening a

military base in the Horn of Africa

in Djibouti. The base is now open.

Who would have imagined a couple of

years ago they would have that? Now

they do.

A number of Zimbabweans contacting

us, one watching on BBC News assay

that the majority of Zimbabweans do

not like China. We can't say that is

a scientific assessment of public

opinion but there is evidence that

many Zimbabweans have reservations

about how close the Chinese got to

the Mugabe government. There is a

tweet about the issue of sanctions.

Before that, a statement from the US

Embassy in Harare.

"The path

forward must lead to free,

fair, and inclusive elections,

in which the people of Zimbabwe

choose their own leaders".

Barbara Plett Usher

is our correspondent

in the State Department.

Forgive me for being bland, but I

wonder how interested the State

Department is in Zimbabwe -- for

being blunt.

I spoke to officials

from the African Department and they

were very interested, quite excited

actually, saying that we must seize

the opportunity. For those who have

been watching Africa for years, we

think wow we must move forward

otherwise the historic opportunity

will be lost. You had statements

from the Secretary of State talking

about an historic opportunity,

saying whatever the short-term

arrangements, they want this to be

changed and a transition to

democracy, so there must be

political and economic reform. Not

just manipulation by Zanu-PF and a

rush to elections but a proper

process over the long-term. It is

not the main focus of the state

Department or policy as we've seen

over the last years but there is a

strong African contingent looking at

it with great interest and hoping it

will be a door opening to real

change.

This question has come in

from a Zimbabwean watching on the

BBC News Channel, asking what

reforms the West will be interested

in seeing before they lift the

sanctions? Can you help on that one?

They say that to lift the sanctions

there must be a free and fair

election, freedom of expression,

face for people to exercise

political freedoms and various

points of respect for human rights,

rolling back on those violations.

They are the kind of things they are

looking for in order to lift the

sanctions. It must be said that the

US gives a fair amount of money to

Zimbabwe anyway in humanitarian aid,

$220 million a year, but that is

given to NGOs and community groups.

Officials say that if they could

have government to government

relations, they could make a big

difference because they could get

involved in education and helping to

train young Zimbabweans for the job

market. That involves government to

government interactions which aren't

possible when the sanctions are in

place.

If the Americans were minded

to change their policy, how quickly

could they move on their position on

Zimbabwe?

It would have to be with

regards to what happens on the

ground politically. I don't think

they would move before the election,

they would want to see what kind of

government was in place and whether

it met their standards.

Thank you

for joining us. Elections are

scheduled for 2018. A lot of

coverage of the resignation.

There is full coverage

on the latest

developments in Zimbabwe.

Just head to bbc.com/news.

There is a plethora of analysis.

Through his 37 years in power Robert

Mugabe was accused of human rights

abuses and oppression. In 2001, the

human rights activist Peter Tatchell

attempted a citizens arrest of Mr

Mugabe. He did that when he was

visiting Brussels. This is what

happened.

You are under arrest on

charges of torture and the United

Nations Convention against torture.

Peter Tatchell is with us here on

Outside Source. Only a short clip,

what happened after that?

I was

beaten unconscious by President

Mugabe's bodyguards which I think

exemplifies the brutality of his

regime. His bodyguards did that to

me in broad daylight in the heart of

the European capital city in front

of the world's media. Everyone said

to themselves, if he does that in

those circumstances, imagine what

he's doing to his own people when no

one is watching?

What were the

consequences in terms of the

countries hosting Mr Mugabe

reacting?

Neither the British nor

the Belgian governments were willing

to take any action against Mugabe's

agents. They claimed diplomatic

immunity and that was accepted. I'm

left with permanent brain and eye

damage. Nothing major but of course

thousands and thousands of

Zimbabweans have been murdered by

his regime. Political prisoners were

tortured and subjected to mass rape

of male and female political

prisoners and of course many were

assassinated and killed

extrajudicially. The price for

Zimbabweans has been far greater

than anybody like me has ever Indian

word.

Do you feel like your activism

and the activism of others was a

success? His fall appears in the

short-term to have from internal

pressure.

That's right, when I had

him under arrest in London in 1999,

when I ambushed his motorcade, we

had all the legal papers for his

arrest and prosecution under charges

of torture, specifically the torture

of two Black journalists in Harare.

Sadly the British Foreign Minister

and Attorney General agreed to allow

Mugabe to go free. That was a

shocking thing to do. If he'd been

arrested and put on trial and

convicted in 1999, much of the

terror that followed may not have

happened.

You would have been a rare

when trying to arrest him that if

any British government allowed a

citizen to arrest a leader it would

have set a precedent that wouldn't

be popular -- would have been aware.

Under British law, a private citizen

has the legal right to arrest

someone if they have evidence

they've committed a crime. Of course

I handed over President Mugabe to

the British police. We were

arrested, myself and my colleagues

and President McGarvey was given a

police escort to go Christmas

shopping at Harrods. -- President

Mugabe.

You've been campaigning for

a long time, what are your emotions?

I feel the joy of Zimbabweans,

having supported them for over 30

years in this trouble for democracy.

But I'm very uncertain about the

future. We don't know who's going to

replace Mugabe. We know who will

probably do it. All of these Zanu-PF

leaders, almost all of them have

been implicated in the corruption

and human rights abuses of the

Mugabe regime. There is a fear that

this could be the continuation of

the regime under a different leader.

I hope that's not the case but

that's certainly a possibility and a

fear. As everyone is saying, as

Zimbabweans are saying, the true

test will be free and fair

elections. Having said that, also

today I feel joy and sorrow because

I remember the thousands and

thousands of Zimbabweans murdered by

his regime, thousands. I was

campaign against the white minority

regime in Rhodesia, I supported the

struggle against South African

apartheid but Robert Mugabe killed

more black Africans and even the

evil apartheid regime and that is a

damning indictment of his regime.

That will be one of his most

shameful legacy is.

Thank you for

joining us.

Back in 2008, the opposition leader

Morgan Tsvangirai won more votes

than Robert Mugabe in the first

round of the presidential election.

In fact, his party claimed he'd got

the 50% of votes that

would have secured victory.

But the result was disputed,

a second round was called,

and Mr Tsvangirai pulled out

after violence

against his supporters.

He didn't become president.

Mr Tsvangirai has continued

as a vocal critic of Robert Mugabe.

Here he is talking to Emily Maitlis

for the BBC's Newsnight.

One would definitely hope that it

opens a new trajectory for the

country. Other than the perpetuation

of the Mugabe culture. I hope that

the next leadership during the

transition will set a new trajectory

where people are respected and that

the rule of law is restored and

that...

Have you spoken yet to the

vice president Jemerson Mnangagwa

and will you endorse him as

president -- Emmerson.

I haven't

spoken to him yet but I hope that if

we are to correct the past, the

principles, myself and him and

others must sit down.

Back in 2007, Morgan Tsvangirai

was arrested and beaten

on his way to a prayer rally.

This is him in hospital in Harare.

The matter drew

worldwide commendation.

For this and many other

things you might expect

hostility towards Mugabe.

But here is Mr Tsvangirai

on what should happen

to the departing president.

A futile exercise.

I think, let him go

and rest in his last days.

So you bear him no ill will?

No, I don't bear him

any ill will at all.

My call for him has always been,

why don't you take a dignified exit?

That's what the Zimbabweans have

been pressurising.

And will you stand in

the elections in August 2018?

Do you want to be

Zimbabwe's next president?

Well, it is too early

to tell, but definitely,

my party will decide,

and my alliance partners

will decide whether I will be

a candidate or not.

Robert Mugabe was in power for 37

years.

Andrew Harding looks back at his

political career.

He could have left power a hero,

instead he made the classic mistake

and overstayed his welcome,

many would say by decades.

There was a deceptive

calm in Salisbury...

Robert Mugabe had grown up

in a world of white privilege

and British colonial rule.

As a young man, he joined

the liberation struggle,

spending ten years in prison

and then joining his

guerillas in the bush.

I, Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

When finally independence came

in 1980, Mugabe took control.

The early signs of trouble,

his political rivals silenced,

thousands massacred in violence

in the south of the country.

But Zimbabwe prospered,

and its population

seemed well-educated.

In the 1990s, economic shocks

and growing political opposition

prompted Mugabe to lash out.

His supporters seized

white-owned farms.

Violently.

The ripples shuddered

through the country and the economy.

To stay in power, Mugabe's Zanu-PF

party began rigging elections

and terrorising opponents.

Western sanctions followed and then

hyperinflation, the currency

collapsing spectacularly.

Then came Grace.

An ageing Mugabe remarried,

but the public never warmed to her.

She spent lavishly,

but it was when she began to show

political ambition that

things changed dramatically.

Zimbabweans were in no mood

for a dynasty, nor was the military,

with political tensions rising,

it was the prospect of President

Grace that helped force

the generals' hand last week

when they seized power

in a coup d'etat.

Was grace her husband's downfall?

Today, we went in

search of more clues.

Outside Harare, one

of her huge mansions.

I'm Andrew.

I'm Dennis.

We weren't allowed in, but nearby,

we got a taste of why

she is so despised here.

This woman said the police had

destroyed her home and dozens more

because Grace wanted to seize

the land for herself.

They came here and started

demolishing my house.

All over.

They pulled down my house.

They said, you must go

away because this place

is being taken by the first lady.

By the first lady, Grace Mugabe?

Yes.

Here, the law meant nothing

to the first family.

They were emperors.

Mugabe was so long in power,

he behaved as if Zimbabwe

belong to him, his family.

Today, at long last,

a man who could have left office

and African icon was forced out,

his humiliation complete.

Andrew Harding, BBC News, Harare.

Next I want to hear from Mary Harper

who has covered Africa for the BBC

for many years. She is now going to

look at how it fitted into the

politics of the 80s.

Mugabe came

into politics quite late, he was

hailed as a liberator and hero,

leading a war of independence,

putting a priority on health and

education. He wanted everybody to be

healthy and educated to quite a high

degree and he was successful so he

was seen as a hero who stood up to

the colonial powers of many other

countries. He was really seen as a

liberator number one for many years.

That reputation will have gone

beyond Southern Africa?

Yes, in

southern and he was seen, that

feeling was particularly strong but

it was across the continent and

other new countries across the

world. Mugabe was a kind of super

Star for his first years in power.

And how far he has managed to sink

since then.

We have forecast a lot

on BBC World Service radio which has

big audiences in Africa. I was taken

the back by the number of listeners

who called in and said that he's an

inspiration they love him.

Absolutely, that has carried an

almost until the present day partly

because Robert Mugabe was the most

vocal at one of the smartest,

bravest critics of the West. He used

to taunt the Western powers again

and again and take them on as an

equal and many people in Africa even

though they wouldn't have liked the

governments he was imposing on the

people of Zimbabwe, they liked how

he stood up to the Western powers.

They saw him as someone who was

brave. That went on for decades

after he started to bring Zimbabwe

down, to its knees.

More recently,

within the context of the African

union, was the one of the most

influential voices?

Know, over the

last decade he become more of a

figure of ridicule and

embarrassment, even amongst most

African leaders. In southern Africa,

especially South Africa, he was

still seen as somebody who should be

respected by other leaders, seen as

an elder statesman, even if he were

saying things and doing things that

were inappropriate. It has been

difficult for many leaders in Africa

to let go of that residual respect

they had for him. Interesting that

since he's resigned, we haven't

really heard from African countries.

We've heard from Western countries

praising this but African countries

are taking their time. They have to

be very careful, how are they play

this.

Some other long-standing

rulers are going to be watching what

is happening in Zimbabwe and will

have concerns.

Absolutely, some of

those people who have been in power

for a long time, like the president

of Cameroon, will be looking over

their shoulders and saying they hope

that the people of their country

don't do a Zimbabwe on them.

What

about the African context, do other

African countries see Zimbabwe as a

priority or would they look at

Eritrea and Congo and think they

have more pressing issues?

I think

Zimbabwe is almost like a film show

that they are watching but in terms

of how it impacts South Africa

beyond its neighbours... In South

Africa and it is a big deal because

many Zimbabweans went there because

they couldn't survive economically

and politically at home but beyond

that the rest of Africa will see

that it has massive problems. For

instance, Nigeria and Somalia with

Islamist insurgents, so it is a bit

of a sideshow when you look at the

continent. But Robert Mugabe is such

a huge figure, it is going to make a

big impact on the continent and

worldwide.

That's it on the day

Robert Mugabe