Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe on Friday made his first public appearance since the country's Military placed him under house arrest but denied taking over power. The 93-years-old President on Friday attended a graduation ceremony at the Zimbabwe Open University in the capital, Harare, where he was welcomed by a cheering crowd of supporters.
Adorned in a blue academic robe and hat, President Mugabe entered the ceremony venue surrounded by security personnel, and announced the opening of the event after joining the crowd in singing the national anthem.
On Wednesday, the Military leaders took control of the state controlled ZBC and blocked access to all government offices. They claimed that the move was aimed at weeding criminal elements surrounding the President and called on the citizens to remain calm.
During negotiations, the Military requested Mugabe to step down but the President insisted that he remains the democratically elected President and must see out his tenure. The engagement has seen the involvement of religious clerics and officials from four countries in the South African region.
After Mugabe's public appearance, military leaders in a new broadcast said they were "engaging with the Commander-in-Chief President Robert Mugabe on the way forward and will advise the nation of the outcome as soon as possible".
The statement added that "Significant progress has been made in their operation to weed out criminals around President Mugabe."
According to Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa, Mugabe's appearance was to demonstrate that the military action is not a coup.
"The army says the aim of the military intervention was the arrest of criminal elements around Mugabe. It also suggests that if they have anyone in place to take over, it will probably take some time. This will not happen immediately, possibly not before the ruling party's conference in December.
Mugabe is a master tactician, known for his intelligence. He's been around for this long because he knows how to play the game and he still has support from within the ruling ZANU-PF party. Those who do still support him have much admiration for him - they see him as an African icon.
"When he does go, on whatever terms that is, it will likely be a graceful exit. His supporters would want him to go with dignity and it will be carefully managed."
