ZIMBABWE LEFT IN THE DARK AS ZANU PF’S FAILURES GROW LOUDER

Parliament plunged into darkness yesterday just as President Emmerson Mnangagwa was delivering his State of the Nation Address. It was meant to be a moment of strength, a declaration of national progress. Instead, it became a national embarrassment. The lights went out, and with them, so did any illusion of a functioning state. The president was forced to complete his speech under torchlight, casting long shadows that mirrored the growing failures of a government that has ruled Zimbabwe for 45 years.

In the immediate aftermath, the Zimbabwe Electricity and Distribution Company’s Managing Director Abel Gurupira was suspended without hesitation. His career appears to have been sacrificed to contain the political fallout. According to an internal memo, his removal was done amid an investigation into the blackout, yet the speed and ferocity of the decision scream of panic more than process. Energy Minister July Moyo and Zesa’s group chief executive Cletus Nyachowe acted quickly after pressure mounted from both Mnangagwa and Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, who was furious and reportedly threatened a backlash if the matter was not handled swiftly.

But what caused the blackout? That remains unclear. Parliament claims it was a technical fault, yet Mudenda and others are shouting sabotage. The fact that this is not the first time it has happened only adds more fuel to a fire that is already burning through what remains of ZANU PF’s credibility. If it is sabotage, it signals a deeply fractured system riddled with internal sabotage and mistrust. If it is technical failure, then it is yet another symbol of state rot and decaying infrastructure.

Either way, Zimbabweans are not fooled. They watched their president speak by torchlight and saw something deeper. This was more than a power outage. It was a symbol. A metaphor. A tragic but fitting image of a nation run into the ground. The lights went off in parliament because the lights have long been off across the country. Blackouts are normal for citizens. Hospitals lose power. Schools go dark. Homes are without electricity for hours or even days. But when it finally hits the ruling elite right at the heart of government, suddenly it is unacceptable.

Yesterday’s power cut was not just an interruption. It was an unintentional act of poetic justice. For a regime that has plunged Zimbabwe into economic ruin, corruption, and political repression, what could be more fitting than delivering a national address in the dark? The symbolism could not be ignored. Leadership is in the dark. Policy is in the dark. Hope is in the dark.

The chaos that followed only confirms how fragile the system really is. Ministers are panicking. Leaders are finger-pointing. Blame is flying in all directions. And while ZANU PF scrambles to save face, the people of Zimbabwe continue to suffer under a broken system with no accountability and no plan. Removing Gurupira changes nothing. It is not one man who failed. It is the whole system. Forty five years of mismanagement cannot be fixed with a single suspension.

ZANU PF has built a legacy of darkness. And yesterday, the whole world got to see it, live and unfiltered. It was not just a failure of electricity. It was a failure of leadership. A failure of governance. A failure of imagination. You cannot light a nation with torches when the soul of the country has already been extinguished. The power cut at parliament may have been a technical fault or sabotage, but either way, it was a reflection of the truth. Zimbabwe is in the dark and ZANU PF put us there.