He told the BBC’s Newsday programme that he hoped dialogue could “now be opened between the army and Zimbabweans” and regional mediators.

The People's Democratic Party leader said the military takeover had taken Zimbabweans by surprise, saying they never thought President Robert Mugabe would “go through his own hand”.

Remember most coups in Africa take place through junior officers… but this coup is being led by the senior officers. It shows the deep feelings of resentment built over the years."

He added that it was important to understand the army’s role in the country’s history.

Zimbabwe is one of the few countries where the ruling party and the state are conflated, they are one.

The second thing that needs to be told is that Zimbabwe gained its independence in 1980 through a guerrilla war and the soldiers of yesterday found themselves in power in 1980 and never demilitarised.

If you didn’t fight in the war you have had no legitimacy – Zimbabwe has basically been a militarised state. What we didn’t know until now was that Mugabe in fact was just a nominal representative of the military."