Zimbabwe's Higher Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo, who was a close ally of President Robert Mugabe, has paid tribute to him, describing him as an "iconic leader".

Mr Moyo tweeted:

People have been reacting on Twitter to the announcement that President Robert Mugabe has resigned, ending his 37-year rule:

Zimbabwe's state-owned television broadcaster is running a programme on farming, while parliament debates a historic motion to impeach President Robert Mugabe.

"Talking farming," that's the headline on ZBC's screen.

Image source, ZBC

A ruling Zanu-PF party official in the UK has tweeted:

A journalist has shared a picture of Zimbabwean lawmakers celebrating the news of Mugabe's resignation, in this tweet:

President Robert Mugabe has reportedly said that he resigned voluntarily, a BBC correspondent tweets:

The speaker of Zimbabwe's parliament has suspended the impeachment debate, Reuters news agency reports.

Wild celebrations have broken out in parliament, it adds.

A BBC correspondent in Zimbabwe tweets:

MP Oliver Mandipaka from Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party has commended the army chief during his contribution to the impeachment debate.

He praised Gen Constantine Chiwenga for "jumping in quickly" to deal with what he saw a crisis.

Opposition MP James Maridadi is currently giving his reasons why President Robert Mugabe should be impeached.

He says that Mr Mugabe has a "poor sense of judgment", according to a tweet from a Zimbabwean academic who is following the debate:

Mr Maridadi has also criticised the president for going abroad to get medical treatment.

People who had gathered outside the Zimbabwean parliament are now making their way to the new venue after impeachment proceedings were moved to Harare's Rainbow Towers Hotel, which has a large conference centre.

Some are carrying anti-Mugabe placards:

A news site that monitors parliament's activities is reporting that proceedings have begun to impeach President Robert Mugabe.

An activist group is gathering comments from Zimbabweans about their dreams for the country.

The handwritten messages have been put out on strings to create a thread of comments:

Zimbabwean MPs are about to resume debating the impeachment motion against President Robert Mugabe.

Proceedings are being moved to a hotel because the parliament building cannot accommodate members of both houses.

An EU official has tweeted this picture of the lawmakers at the Rainbow Towers Hotel:

A BBC correspondent has tweeted a video of the scenes outside Zimbabwe's parliament, which is expected to impeach President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Mugabe's comrade from the 1970s war for independence, Emmerson Mnangagwa, is behind the campaign to oust the 93-year-old leader.

Mr Mugabe incurred his wrath and that of the army after sacking him as his deputy, triggering the extraordinary sequence of events which are expected to culminate with the president's impeachment.

Here are some photos of opposition supporters protesting in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, to demand an end to President Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule:

Image source, Reuters

Protesters also demanded the release of activists detained by the security forces, which served Mr Mugabe loyally until a week ago:

Image source, EPA

Main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who was beaten up by the security forces and charged with treason for challenging Mr Mugabe's iron-grip on power, demanded free and fair elections:

Image source, AFP

His supporters expressed confidence that he could win a free and fair election:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Regional leaders have noted with "great concern the unfolding political situation" in Zimbabwe, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has said in a statement.

The leaders of South Africa and Angola - Jacob Zuma and his Angolan counterpart Joao Lourenco - would travel to Zimbabwe tomorrow, the statement said.

Lawmakers, who are debating a motion to impeach President Robert Mugabe, will vote on the matter tomorrow.

The visit will be the first by regional leaders to Zimbabwe since last Wednesday's army takeover.

Read: The army chief who took power

This is the second attempt in Zimbabwe's parliament to impeach President Robert Mugabe.

The opposition tabled an impeachment motion in 2000, but it was rejected by the ruling Zanu-PF party as "frivolous".

And who was the speaker who threw out the motion then? Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man whose sacking by the 93-year-old president has precipitated the current crisis.

It's a point that opposition MP David Coltart makes:

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai has called for free and fair elections to demand an end to Zanu-PF's rule.

Addressing thousands of his supporters at African Unity Square in the capital, Harare, Mr Tsvangirai said:

Image source, AFP

A spokesman for South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has confirmed that he and Angola's leader Joao Lourenco will go to Zimbabwe tomorrow for talks with all sides involved in the escalating crisis, reports the BBC's Milton Nkosi from Johannesburg.