Zimbabwe's ousted deputy president Emmerson Mnangagwa Tuesday asked President Robert Mugabe to respect public opinion and step down and said he would only return home when his security was assured.

"The people of Zimbabwe have spoken with one voice and it is my appeal to President Mugabe that he should take heed of this clarion call by the people of Zimbabwe to resign, so that the country can move forward and preserve his legacy," Mnangagwa said in a statement.