It started like so many coups have, with a military commander taking control of a TV station, and reading a statement to assure viewers that the President and his family are safe. Since then, the rumour mill has churned out one major allegation after another. That Mugabe might be dead. That he and his wife are in custody. That the first lady has been ordered to leave the country. As for the military, it denies a coup has taken place, saying the 93-year-old leader is being protected from criminals. One thing is for certain, the army -- amid gun fire and explosions -- took power on Wednesday. And a country plagued by corruption and rampant inflation is facing an upheaval unmatched in decades.