Zimbabwe party begins Mugabe impeachment

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is a "source of instability", has shown disrespect for the rule of law and is to blame for an unprecedented economic tailspin over the past 15 years, his ruling party says in a draft impeachment motion.

The ZANU-PF party said it would discuss the 93-year-old leader's impeachment on Monday, after a noon deadline expired for him to resign after nearly four decades in power.

Impeachment could see Mugabe kicked out by a vote in parliament in under a day and would represent an ignominious end to the career of the "Grand Old Man" of African politics, who was once lauded across the continent as an anti-colonial hero.

ZANU-PF chief whip Lovemore Matuke told Reuters the party's members of parliament were to meet at 1130 AEDT (to start mapping out Mugabe's impeachment.

On paper, the process is relatively long-winded, involving a joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly, then a nine-member committee of senators, then another joint sitting to confirm his dismissal with a two-thirds majority.

However, constitutional experts said ZANU-PF had the numbers and could push it through in as little as 24 hours.