Zimbabwe: Army tanks seen heading towards capital Harare

HARARE - 15 November 2017: Tanks have been spotted heading towards Zimbabwe's capital Harare. Eyewitnesses said military vehicles were also blocking major roads outside the city, The Independent reported Tuesday.

Local media also reported that heavily armed military personnel had sealed off state TV broadcaster ZBC.

It comes amid rising tensions between the southern African nation's military and the country's ruling Zanu-PF party, headed by President Robert Mugabe - the only leader Zimbabwe has known in 37 years of independence.

The president plunged the country into political crisis by sacking his vice president Emerson Mnangagwa, 75, last week. The long-serving veteran of Zimbabwe's 1970s liberation wars, had been viewed as a likely successor to Mugabe before the president fired him.

A number of people posted images of the military vehicles on social media. Some called it "a coup". The Independent was unable to verify where the military vehicles were travelling to and for what purpose.

The leader of the Zanu-PF youth wing, Kudzai Chipanga, said his members would not allow the armed forces to subvert the constitution and were prepared to die to defend President Mugabe.