The veteran leader arrived at the Zimbabwe Open University in a blue-and-yellow gown, accompanied by his security detail, two days after being placed under house arrest in Wednesday's army takeover.
The event was apparently designed to convey a business-as-usual atmosphere -- the generals pulling the strings in Harare are desperate not to give the impression they are orchestrating an unconstitutional coup.
But behind the scenes, efforts to push Mugabe aside appeared to be foundering. Mugabe was reported to be resisting a plan to oust him, and the generals were said to be frustrated about his refusal to go quietly.
Latest developments
Mugabe resisting deal: The President has pushed back on a deal to replace him with an interim leader, a source told CNN.
Military sets deadline: Frustrated with Mugabe's resistance, the commander of the defense forces said the President had until Friday to change his stance, "or we do it the hard way," a source said.
Grace Mugabe missing: There is still no sign of the Mugabe's wife, whom the leader was trying to promote as the next president, triggering the political upheaval.
Transition talks
As Mugabe arrived at Harare's Open University Friday morning, Zimbabwe's political limbo was entering its third day and clandestine efforts to prise Mugabe from power appeared to have reached an impasse.
A source close to the talks told CNN that Mugabe had pushed back on a deal to replace him with an interim leader, arguing there would be a constitutional crisis if he left before his term expired.
On Thursday Mugabe was photographed Thursday in talks with the General Chiwenga and others at the official State House.
According to a government source with direct knowledge of the talks, the photos were "merely a formality" and a deal that had already been done. Part of this deal was that an acting president would be named, as required by the constitution when there is no vice president, another source said.
But by Friday, it was clear Mugabe was digging his heels in.
Frustrated with the lack of progress, the commander of the defense forces, General Constantino Chiwenga, set a deadline of Friday for Mugabe to agree to a deal, "or we do it the hard way," the source said.
Meanwhile at Harare Open University, on the outskirts of the capital, Mugabe conferred degrees on university students as if nothing was untoward.
But if he played along with the event, thinking it would make it look as if he was still in charge, the tactic backfired. The 93-year-old arrived in an uncharacteristically modest motorcade of just three vehicles, said little, and drifted in and out of sleep on stage.
The political firestorm was ignited by Mugabe's dismissal of his powerful Vice President, Emmerson Manangagw.
Mnangagwa has strong connections and the support of the military, and under the deal on the table with Mugabe, he would run for the leadership of Mugabe's ZANU-PF at a congress in December, paving the way to the presidency.
Mnangagwa's whereabouts are unknown, as are those of Mugabe's wife, Grace Mugabe, whom the President had been promoting for months to succeed him.
The political maneuvering by the couple to position Grace Mugabe as the next president is at the heart of the political tumult in the southern African nation.
As Zimbabweans watch and wait to see if Mugabe will stand aside, CNN has learned that plans to take over the country by force have been in place for some time -- and that Mnangagwa was instrumental in those plans.
"This takeover was planned a long time ago by Emmerson Mnangagwa and secret discussions did take place with opposition about a succession plan including forcing out Mugabe," a senior opposition leader with direct knowledge of the talks told CNN.
New normal
Not too long ago, Mugabe's presidential guard would have died defending their leader. But this week CNN saw several Armored Personnel Carriers (APC) stationed outside their headquarters in Harare -- a clear sign that the military is hemming them in.
Tanks were still positioned in downtown Harare and no police were to be seen, though the city was "calm" with shops and businesses open, residents reported.
The military has denied that the events of the week amount to a coup, but residents were still unclear as to what type of rule they would be living under.
"We don't know what is happening," one man told CNN. "What we know is that the soldiers are in control."
Zimbabweans are cautious, but hopeful that, after almost four decades of often brutal rule, Mugabe -- who has governed for longer than many of his countrymen have been alive -- could be coming to an end.
Another Zimbabwean CNN spoke to said that Mugabe should leave office, and end the economic ruination of the African country once known as Africa's breadbasket.
"We need a new president," he said, peering through his car's window. "We need bread and butter."
Mugabe's brutal rule
Mugabe, the only leader most Zimbabweans have ever known, ruled the landlocked country for 37 years, often with an iron fist.
He rose to power as a freedom fighter and was seen as Zimbabwe's Nelson Mandela. But he quickly waged a campaign of oppression to consolidate his position, extinguishing the political opposition through violent crackdowns.
Mugabe's hardline policies also pushed the country into poverty. Its flourishing economy began to disintegrate after a program of land seizures from white farmers, and agricultural output plummeted and inflation soared.
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