Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party said on Tuesday it would never succumb to military pressure and described a statement by the armed forces chief that he would intervene to end a purge within the party as "treasonable conduct".

In the statement, ZANU-PF said it stood by the "primacy of politics over the gun" and accused armed forces chief Constantino Chiwenga of trying to disturb the peace and stability of the impoverished southern African nation.