JOHANNESBURG – The ruling Zanu-PF called political statements by Zimbabwe’s army chief as “treasonable conduct,” Reuters reported on Tuesday night.

Tanks were seen in the streets of Zimbabwe’s capital Harare on Tuesday – a day after army chief Constantino Chiwenga, in an unprecedented move, openly threatened to ‘step in’ to end a purge of supporters of ousted vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Sources indicated it was a ‘show of force’ rather than a coup.

Both Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s famous ‘blue house’ and the Zimbabwean Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) has been sealed off by heavily armed military personnel, Khuluma Afrika is reporting.

South Africa could be forced to intervene in Zimbabwe in the event of a coup, the SA Institute of Security Studies (ISS) said.

According to Reuters, Zanu-PF says it will not succumb to military pressure. 

In a statement, the party said it stood by the “primacy of politics over the gun” and accused armed forces chief Constantino Chiwenga of trying to disturb the peace and stability of the impoverished southern African nation.

Additional reporting Reuters