'President is safe' says Zimbabwe army after military takeover

Zimbabwe's army said it has the 93-year-old president and his wife in custody and is securing government offices and patrolling the capital's streets following a night of unrest that included a military takeover of the state broadcaster.

The night's action triggered speculation of a coup, but the military’s supporters praised it as a "bloodless correction".

Armed soldiers in armoured personnel carriers stationed themselves at key points in Harare, while Zimbabweans formed long lines at banks in order to draw the limited cash available, a routine chore in the country's ongoing financial crisis.

In an address to the nation after taking control of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, army spokesman Major General Sibusiso Moyo said early on Wednesday the military is targeting "criminals" around Mugabe, and sought to reassure the country that order will be restored.

"Their security is guaranteed,"  Moyo said, referring to Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, and his wife Grace, 52, who was in prime position to succeed her husband as the next president - a succession strongly opposed by senior ranks in the military.

"As soon as we have accomplished our mission, we expect that the situation will return to normalcy," he added.

"To the civil servants, as you are aware, there is a plan by the same individuals to influence the current purging that is taking place in the political sphere to the civil service. We are against that act of injustice and we intend to protect every one of you against that."