The Associated Press said it saw three tanks with several soldiers in a convoy on a road heading toward an army barracks just outside the capital, Harare, while Reuters reported that four tanks were seen heading toward the capital.

According to Reuters, two other tanks were seen parked beside the main road from Harare to Chinhoyi, about 20km from the city. Eyewitnesses also saw military vehicles blocking major roads outside the city.

The alleged coup takes place one day after Zimbabwe's army chief demanded a "stop" to the purge in President Robert Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF, following the sacking of vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa was well-supported by the Zimbabwean national forces. On Monday, Amry General Constantino Chiwenga told a media conference attended by at least 90 senior army officers at the army headquarters in Harare on Monday that: "The current purging which is clearly targeting members of the party with a liberation background must stop forthwith."