   Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, his wife Grace and two key figures from
   her G40 political faction are under house arrest at Mugabe's "Blue House"
   compound in Harare and are insisting the 93 year-old finishes his
   presidential term, a source said.

   The G40 figures are cabinet ministers Jonathan Moyo and Saviour
   Kasukuwere, who fled to the compound after their homes were attacked by
   troops in Tuesday night's coup, the source, who said he had spoken to
   people inside the compound, told Reuters.

   Mr Mugabe is resisting mediation by a Catholic priest to allow the former
   guerrilla a graceful exit after the military takeover.

   The priest, Fidelis Mukonori, is acting as a middle-man between Mr Mugabe
   and the generals, who seized power in a targeted operation against
   "criminals" in his entourage, a senior political source told Reuters.

   The source could not provide details of the talks, which appear to be
   aimed at a smooth and bloodless transition after the departure of Mr
   Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980.

   Mr Mugabe, still seen by many Africans as a liberation hero, is reviled in
   the West as a despot whose disastrous handling of the economy and
   willingness to resort to violence to maintain power destroyed one of
   Africa's most promising states.

   Zimbabwean intelligence reports seen by Reuters suggest that former
   security chief Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was ousted as vice-president this
   month, has been mapping out a post-Mugabe vision with the military and
   opposition for more than a year.

   Fuelling speculation that Mnangagwa's plan might be rolling into action,
   opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has been receiving cancer
   treatment in Britain and South Africa, returned to Harare late on
   Wednesday, his spokesman said.

   South Africa said Mr Mugabe had told President Jacob Zuma by telephone on
   Wednesday that he was confined to his home but was otherwise fine and the
   military said it was keeping him and his family, including wife Grace,
   safe.

   Despite the lingering admiration for Mr Mugabe, there is little public
   affection for 52-year-old Grace, a former government typist who started
   having an affair with Mr Mugabe in the early 1990s as his first wife,
   Sally, was dying of kidney disease.

   Dubbed "DisGrace" or "Gucci Grace" on account of her reputed love of
   shopping, she enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of Mugabe's ruling
   Zanu-PF in the last two years, culminating in Mnangagwa's removal a week
   ago - a move seen as clearing the way for her to succeed her husband.

   In contrast to the high political drama unfolding behind closed doors, the
   streets of the capital remained calm, with people going about their daily
   business, albeit under the watch of soldiers on armoured vehicles at
   strategic locations.

   Whatever the final outcome, the events could signal a once-in-a-generation
   change for the former British colony, a regional breadbasket reduced to
   destitution by economic policies Mr Mugabe's critics have long blamed on
   him.
