DARKNESS IN PARLIAMENT SHINES LIGHT ON ZANU PF’S FAILURES
Yesterday’s blackout during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address has ironically become a far more powerful symbol than anything he said under the torchlight that lit his shaken face. Instead of galvanising confidence in the regime, the moment exposed a system so broken it cannot even power its own propaganda. The suspension of Zimbabwe Electricity and Distribution Company Managing Director Abel Gurupira came swiftly after the power cut left Parliament in total darkness. But no amount of finger-pointing or emergency suspensions can hide the deeper crisis this moment revealed.
The outage did not just interrupt Mnangagwa’s speech. It interrupted a performance carefully choreographed to create the illusion of control. What followed instead was chaos. Energy Minister July Moyo was forced into action after an enraged Mnangagwa and an agitated Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda reacted furiously to the incident. Moyo quickly moved to have ZESA group chief executive Cletus Nyachowe remove Gurupira. An internal memo later confirmed that Gurupira was suspended with immediate effect pending an ongoing investigation. But this kneejerk response does little to inspire confidence. It only confirms what the nation has long known. Zimbabwe is being run on the edge of panic and performance, not planning or principle.
While officials scramble to explain the incident, confusion has taken centre stage. Parliament’s technical staff say the blackout was the result of a technical fault. Mudenda and others are crying sabotage. No one can agree on what happened because no one is actually in charge. This is not the first time power has gone out during a major government address. It happened last year too. How is it that in a country with rolling blackouts and chronic energy shortages, Parliament itself cannot be assured of electricity when the head of state is speaking?
The darkness that fell over the chamber during Mnangagwa’s speech is not just about the flickering lights. It is about the collapse of an entire system that can no longer maintain basic functionality. Under ZANU PF’s 45-year rule, Zimbabwe has stumbled from crisis to crisis. Yesterday’s blackout was not a technical glitch. It was a metaphor. It captured in one stark image the failure of leadership, the failure of governance, and the absence of a clear vision to move the country forward.
Analysts have rightly said this saga symbolises the total collapse of the state. In a nation where hospitals run without drugs, schools without resources, and homes without water or electricity, it is only fitting that the President himself is forced to speak under torchlight. The power cut is not the exception. It is the reality Zimbabweans live with daily. The only difference is that this time, the elite could not escape it. This time, it disrupted their show. This time, the spotlight turned on them.
ZANU PF has always been obsessed with controlling the narrative. But yesterday, the darkness told the story. It spoke louder than any speech Mnangagwa could give. It revealed a system that is crumbling under its own weight. The ruling party wants Zimbabweans to believe that things are improving. But how can they, when even Parliament cannot be guaranteed electricity for the most important speech of the year?
The rush to suspend Gurupira is a distraction. It is a performance meant to convince us that someone is accountable. But Zimbabweans are not fooled. We know that the problem is not one man. The problem is the rot at the top. The blackout may have been accidental or deliberate. But what is deliberate is the ongoing destruction of this country by those in power. Until real change comes, Zimbabwe will remain in the dark.
