Zimbabwe’s fledgeling power-sharing Government staggered into its fifth day yesterday as fears grew that a shadowy cabal of President Mugabe’s top security bosses are edging towards a military coup.

Roy Bennett, nominated by Morgan Tsvangirai as his choice for Deputy Agriculture Minister, was seized and detained by state security agents on Friday – an act seen widely as an attempt to sabotage the coalition of Mr Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), led by Mr Tsvangirai.

Yesterday charges against Mr Bennett were altered from treason to plotting “insurgency, banditry and sabotage” by allegedly funding the MDC to buy arms in 2005, supposedly with the intention of destroying a telecommunications station outside Harare. The charges appear to have been brought under the Public Order Security Act, which carries a maximum penalty of ten years in prison. He is expected to appear at Mutare Magistrates’ Court today for a bail hearing.

The arrest of Mr Bennett, who was still in detention yesterday, has raised fears of an impending coup to prevent Mr Tsvangirai from wielding power. The MDC is blaming the Joint Operational Command (JOC), a powerful group of military, police and intelligence chiefs who it said had “planned, directed and operationalised” the arrest to force the MDC to withdraw from the Government.

“For now, the major challenge is to get Mr Bennett out,” Tendai Biti, the MDC secretary-general and the new Finance Minister, said. “If that fails, we will have to meet and review everything.” Mr Tsvangirai, now Prime Minister, proposed a meeting with Mr Mugabe about the arrest but this did not take place. At the weekend Mr Tsvangirai said the arrest “undermined the spirit and credibility” of the agreement to form a new administration.

The JOC has been in de facto control of Zimbabwean politics almost throughout the country’s existence. A leftover of the former white-minority Rhodesian government, it includes General Constantine Chiwenga, commander of the defence forces, Lieutenant-General Phillip Sibanda, head of the Army, Perrence Shiri, head of the Air Force, Happyton Bonyongwe, the director of the Central Intelligence Organisation, Augustine Chihuri, the police chief, and Paradzayi Zimondi, the prisons commissioner. Mr Mugabe is its chairman.

In the 1990s the JOC was amalgamated into Mr Mugabe’s administration and grew to have subcommittees in every province, district and town. It is served by numerous covert branches of the security services. Its remit is to undermine all individuals or organisations suspected of being opposed to Mr Mugabe. Their methods range from assassination, abduction and torture to bugging, disinformation and framing operations.

“It appears that a distance is growing between Mugabe and the generals,” a Western diplomat said.

MDC lawyers saw Mr Bennett in custody on Saturday and released a statement from him. “Whatever these challenges, if we remain unwaveringly dedicated we will achieve peace, freedom and democracy in our lifetime, believe me,” he said.

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