Zimbabwe’s former prime minister and key opposition figure was spotted returning home on Wednesday.

Morgan Tsvangirai is ready to form a transitional government in the wake of the country’s military coup, according to local media.

Tsvangirai may partner with ousted Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was fired last week.

President Robert Mugabe has refused to step down despite pressure from the military.

Zimbabwe’s former prime minister and key opposition figure has been spotted returning home in what might be a bid to take back control from Robert Mugabe, who is under a house arrest after a military coup on Wednesday morning.

Morgan Tsvangirai, who founded the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and has been described as Mugabe’s “nemesis,” was seen on the same plane into Harare as a Sky News correspondent, the news network reported on Wednesday.

Tsvangirai, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2013, had been in South Africa receiving medical treatment, South African news site News24 said. It is not clear how long he was away.

Now, he may be ready to form a transitional government with Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who fled the country last week after being sacked by Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s NewsDay newspaper reported.

Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe political ally, was removed from his position last week after Mugabe accused him of trying to plot against him with witchcraft.

Lees ook op Business Insider Daimler stort zich op de markt voor elektrische trucks met 2 nieuwe modellen van Mercedes – en gaat strijd aan met Tesla en Nikola

Foto: Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace. source Thomson Reuters

Douglas Mwonzora, MDC-T’s secretary-general, told NewsDay on Wednesday: “It is clear that President Mugabe has outlived his welcome in Zimbabwe, and it is time that the president passes the baton.”

Christopher Mutsvangwa, the leader of Zimbabwe’s war veterans, also flew home on Wednesday, South Africa’s News24 reported, although it was unclear whether he was on the same plane as Tsvangirai. Mutsvangwa is also ready to form a transitional government with Tsvangirai and Mnangagwa, NewsDay said.

Meanwhile, Mugabe has insisted that he remain the country’s legitimate ruler despite the military’s calls for him to step down, Reuters reported on Thursday. He has insisted on completing his current presidential term, which technically ends in August 2018, according to Zimbabwean legislative watchdog Veritas.

According to Reuters, the 93-year-old president, his wife Grace, and other key political allies are under house arrest at Mugabe’s mansion in Harare.

Foto: An armoured vehicle patrols the streets of Harare on Wednesday while everyday Zimbabweans walk by. source AP

Zimbabwe’s military took control of the country on Wednesday, taking over state TV and blocking access to parliament and courts – but have refused to call their actions a coup.

They said they wanted to target “criminals” around Mugabe, to “pacify a degenerating political, social and economic situation” in the country, and give back power “as soon we have accomplished our mission.”

Mwonzora, MDC-T’s secretary-general, said on Wednesday: “If you call an elephant a rat, it doesn’t change, it is still an elephant. The president is effectively under house arrest, key ministers are under arrest, the army is imposing its will.

“That is a typical definition of a coup. It is a coup.”