Below are some of the main talking points by former MDC MP Eddie Cross at the Cape Press Club. Cross said:

* Grace Mugabe was prepared to even murder Mnangagwa; he survived an assassination attempt; later fled

* South Africa agreed and China gave the coup a go-ahead; done extremely efficiently; police were disarmed; army took control; was legitimate a military assisted transition not a coup because the population supported it

* Army were 2/3 of initial cabinet; Mnangagwa, like Ramaphosa, is a minority leader within his ruling party; G40 held 100 seats and were intent to remove him; but he survived the election by the skin of his teeth

* Mnangagwa is committed to reform; he has not received sufficient recognition for what he has done; but he has to deal with recalcitrant elements in his party; intelligence sources suggest G40 buying weapons

* Mnangagwa has reduced police hierarchy, fired the militia, the secret services; the security committee no longer running the politics; moving towards a civil democracy

* Army is under civilian control now; former ZIPRA officers now the commanders

* Zim gone from a 40% deficit to a balance of payments surplus; by end of next quarter Zim will have a floating currency

* amazing economic achievement done in 9 months; not a fan of Mnangagwa who was part of the Gukurahundi but he is putting Zim on a new progressive path

* The real threat to Zimbabwe now is not coup but the internal factions in the ruling party eg govenor reserve bank against finance minister – this is destabilizing the country