President Robert Mugabe (left) (Photo: Herald)

The newspaper said that ZANU-PF branches in all 10 provinces had met on Friday and had also called for Mugabe’s wife Grace to resign from the party. The move comes ahead of a protest march to be held in the capital Harare on Saturday, fully supported by the country's military which staged a takeover on Wednesday.

War veterans until recently loyal to the 93-year-old president and liberal groups have also urged him to quit.

Earlier Mr Mugabe made his first public appearance since the takeover. Mr Mugabe had been under house arrest for days, but attended a graduation ceremony on Friday, handing out degrees.