MP and government minister Paul Chimedza has been arrested at a road block trying to flee to South Africa, Zimbabwe's private Newsday paper is reporting, external.

The paper says he was detained in Bubi, in the south of the country.

He is the state minister for Masvingo province and practised as medical doctor before going into politics.

Several Zanu-PF officials are reported to be in custody including Mr Mugabe's former spin doctor Jonathan Moyo and Finance Minister Ignatius Chombo.

Kudzai Chipanga, head of Zimbabwe's Zanu-PF youth wing and a strong supporter of President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace, has apologised for warning the army not to seize power.

On Tuesday, he told the army chief Gen Constantino Chiwenga to “stay in the barracks”.

He had said his members would not allow the armed forces to subvert the constitution and were prepared to die to defend President Mugabe.

But last night he read out a statement broadcast on ZBC television news, saying he had been wrong:

You can watch his full statement, which he said he made voluntarily, here:

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Concern has been expressed in Chinese state media over the fate of Chinese companies and investment in Zimbabwe.

The two countries have long had a political and business relationship, and just last week China hosted the man who is behind the military takeover.

The Chinese foreign ministry says the visit to Beijing last week by the Zimbabwean armed forces' chief, Gen Constantino Chiwenga, was a "normal military exchange".

Experts generally believe that Chinese companies may be affected in the short-term, however, the impact will be limited since many firms have already withdrawn because of Zimbabwe's economic difficulties.

A bilingual editorial in the Global Times newspaper said:

Image source, AFP

A Catholic priest close to the Mugabe family is involved with negotiations between President Robert Mugabe and the military, several sources in Zimbabwe say - according to the Reuters news agency.

Father Fidelis Mukonori has known the president since the 1970s – and according to an article in the state-controlled Herald newspaper published a few years ago, is regarded in some circles “as the spiritual father of the veteran leader”.

A Zimbabwe journalist tweeted overnight that he is being assisted in his mediation efforts by a senior civil servant and the presidential spokesman:

Image source, AFP

Namibia's deputy prime minister, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, has denied speculation that her country is harbouring Zimbabwe's First Lady Grace Mugabe.

“There is no truth in that,” the state-owned New Era newspapers quotes her as saying, external. She adds:

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah, who also serves as foreign minister, is quoted as saying the events in neighbouring Zimbabwe are of great concern:

Zimbabwean music icon Thomas Mapfumo ,who performed at the country's independence celebrations, has condemned his former friend Robert Mugabe.

Speaking to BBC Newsday from the US where he now lives, Mapfumo said:

Andrew Harding
BBC News, Zimbabwe

No-one is exactly celebrating here - too much remains unknown. But shops and businesses are working and Zimbabwe is quietly adapting to the stunning fact that President Robert Mugabe is still under house arrest, and that no-one is coming to rescue him.

Instead, those now in control here - soldiers and civilians - are trying to convince the world that there wasn't really a military coup at all. More of a forceful reshuffle.

But to win that argument, they need Mr Mugabe to play along.

So the key question now is whether the 93-year-old can be persuaded to make some sort of statement, legitimising the upheavals of the past two days - in return for, what?

A peaceful retirement, the safety of his wife and family? Zimbabwe's drama is still unfolding.

Welcome to BBC Africa Live for the continuation of our coverage of the military takeover in Zimbabwe.

President Robert Mugabe is still under house arrest – and his future remains uncertain.

The whereabouts of his wife Grace, whose bid to succeed him as president seems to have precipitated the current crisis, is unknown.

Some reports said she had fled to neighbouring Namibia.

A military presence remains on the streets of the capital, Harare - this armoured vehicle was pictured outside parliament this morning:

Image source, Reuters

Regional-led negotiations are to take place.

Special envoys sent by South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma arrived in Harare last night to hold talks with both sides.

And the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) is due to hold emergency talks in Botswana later today on the crisis.

Read the BBC News story for more.

We're pausing the live coverage of events in Zimbabwe for the evening. Here's where things stand:

• Zimbabwe's president, Robert Mugabe, has been placed under house arrest by the military
• Soldiers seized the state broadcaster, ZBC
• The military insists this is not a coup, and the civilian government is still intact
• The African Union president, however, said: "it seems like a coup"
• There has been no direct comment from President Mugabe, nor his wife Grace - who lies at the centre of the row

Our online team will continue updating the main story on our site.

Want to read more?

• Take a look at our round-up of what we know so far
• Read our profile of Grace Mugabe and her part in the crisis, or watch the video
• Or watch our piece on her rival, the ousted vice-president
• Earlier, we took a look at how to recognise when a coup is happening
• And our Africa security correspondent asks: Did Robert Mugabe finally go too far?

Image source, Reuters

The British Ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, says there are no plans at the moment for the Security Council to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe, but added that that might change.

"It's unfolding rapidly, and I don't want to say anything prematurely, but what we call on is for everyone to respect the need for safety and security and for no descent into violence," he said.

"We appeal for calm and for the situation to remain stable."

BBC Monitoring

Image source, Reuters

Venezuela's government strongly condemned what it called "the rupture of the constitutional order in the Republic of Zimbabwe by part of a sector of the army".

The Twitter post came from Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.

"The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela calls for the physical integrity of President Mugabe and his family to be respected and safeguarded, and exhorts all of the institutions and citizens (of Zimbabwe) to overcome their differences through the way of dialogue."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government had maintained good relations with Mugabe, and the Zimbabwean leader was among heads of state who attended a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Venezuela in September 2016.

Mr Maduro has faced fierce criticism in recent months. He has been labelled a dictator by the United States, which imposed economic sanctions on members of his government.

Trevor Ncube, a Zimbabwean media mogul whose company owns four newspapers in the country, tweets:

The BBC has not verified the claim, and it is not clear under what circumstances the pair were taken.

Anne Soy
BBC Africa

President Mugabe has been in power for 37 years. His continuing leadership has been a symbol of stability, even though the country has gone through so many problems economically.

But this is a moment in history. It’s change that people have been waiting for, but they did not know in what form it was going to come.

The next steps that are going to be taken by the military are going to be very important in what direction the country heads...

… they’re also saying this is not a coup, although it looks very much like one. We remember that in 2013 when there was a coup in Egypt, the country was suspended from the African Union - so it may be that the military here does not want to antagonise other leaders on the continent.

The West Africa correspondent for the AFP news agency comments on two different statements: one from the African Union president, and another from the AU Commission - the executive branch of the same organisation.

Zimbabwean exiles in London gathered today at the country's embassy to celebrate what could be the downfall of Robert Mugabe.

Many are members of an organisation which protests frequently against his government.

"Today is a comma not a full stop. We need real change," said Chipo Parirenyatwa, chair of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation.

"I don't know how the army will do, but I am optimistic there need to be elections in a peaceful manner with the international community involved.

"I think there is a 50-50 chance of that happening."'

Read more: Zimbabweans in London

Aspiring MP Fadzayi Mahere, who woke up to the sounds of the army announcing they had taken control, has spoken about the atmosphere in the capital Harare today.

Ms Mahere, a constitutional lawyer, told BBC World's Newshour:

Ms Mahere, who is hoping to be elected as an independent MP in Mount Pleasant, Harare, said for some, it was a day of celebration:

Image source, Fadzayi Mahere

She also described how she watched as 20 to 30 police officers were forced to sit on the floor by the army.

Ms Mahere shared the picture with the BBC earlier. However, she was not sure why they were being held.

The African Union Commission has called for a solution to the situation in Zimbabwe that followed the country's constitution.

In a statement, its chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he was closely following developments, and was ready to offer support.

"It is crucial that the crisis is resolved in a manner that promotes democracy and human rights, as well as the socio-economic development of Zimbabwe," he said.

Radio 4 PM

Sue Onslow has co-written a biography of Robert Mugabe.

She told Radio 4's PM programme he only came to power "because of luck, ill judgement, and rivalry amongst his colleagues".

She added: "He is a supreme political operator... who relied on alliances with the liberation forces and the military structures."

The BBC's Milton Nkosi tweets that South Africa's envoys have reached Zimbabwe:

Earlier, South African President Jacob Zuma said he was sending an envoy on behalf of the intergovernmental South African Development Community to speak to both sides.

The relationship between a former imperial power and its ex-colony is a complex one, says our diplomatic correspondent.