Zimbabwe is set for more political turmoil with protests planned across the country on Saturday.
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Veterans of the independence war, activists and ruling party leaders are calling publicly for President Robert Mugabe to be forced from office.
The marches will cap an unprecedented week in which generals seized power and put Mugabe under house arrest in a stunning turnaround for the president who has ruled since 1980.
The 93-year-old autocrat did not resign in talks with the army chief on Thursday and sources suggested the veteran leader was "buying time" to negotiate an end to his 37 year reign.
Mugabe appeared publicly for the first time at a pre-planned graduation ceremony in Harare on Friday, further stoking questions over the status of his discussions with General Constantino Chiwenga, who led the military power grab.
Later in the day, eight of Mugabe's ruling party's 10 regional branches took to state television to call for him to go.
The independence war veterans' association is organising a gathering at a large sports field on the outskirts of Harare on Saturday.
It was the location of Mugabe's first speech after returning from exile in Mozambique in 1979.
Demonstrators had begun to arrive in the area by midnight local time.
Chris Mutsvangwa, chairman of the association, said "the game is up" for Mugabe and announced the protests against the president.
"We want to restore our pride and (Saturday) is the day... we can finish the job which the army started."
The veterans' association supports ousted vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa -- whose sacking sparked the army intervention on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the US embassy in Harare warned its citizens to avoid another protest - thought to be a pro-Mugabe counter-demonstration - expected to take place in Robert Mugabe Square in the centre of the capital.
