ZETDC boss suspended over power outage that embarrassed Mnangagwa in parliament

HARARE – The Managing Director of the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), Eng. Abel Gurupira, has been suspended from duty pending investigations into a series of power outages that occurred during key national events, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Tuesday.

According to an internal memorandum dated 28 October 2025, issued by ZESA Holdings Acting Group Chief Executive Officer, Eng. Cletus Nyachowe, Gurupira’s suspension takes effect immediately and will remain in force until investigations are concluded.

“I am hereby suspending you from duty pending investigations, following a spate of power outages prior to commencement of the Zanu-PF Conference in Mutare, and during the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on the 28th of October 2025,” reads part of the memo.

The letter further stipulated that Gurupira will remain on full pay and benefits during the suspension period but is prohibited from communicating with any ZESA Holdings staff members.

The decision follows an embarrassing power blackout that interrupted President Mnangagwa’s address to Parliament, forcing him to deliver the final portion of his speech under torchlight.

The outage, which lasted several minutes, plunged the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden into darkness, drawing ridicule and public outrage.

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Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda suggested the possibility of deliberate sabotage, warning that those responsible “will regret the day they were born.”

“The person who switched off the electricity while the President was speaking will regret the day he was born,” Mudenda told legislators after power was restored moments following the President’s conclusion.

This is not the first time Parliament has been hit by a blackout during a major address. In November 2024, a similar power cut occurred as Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube was presenting his budget statement, temporarily halting proceedings.

Parliamentary authorities, at the time attributed the incident to bad weather, with Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda explaining that a fault had developed at a 132kV feeder line due to storms and high winds.

The standby generator also failed to start automatically due to disrupted memory settings.

Zimbabwe, however, continues to grapple with an acute energy crisis, marked by daily power cuts lasting up to 20 hours in some areas, the situation which has been worsened by reduced electricity generation at Kariba Dam, caused by low water levels, and technical faults at Hwange Power Station.

Last week, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) announced that Hwange Unit 8 had been taken offline for ten days due to a fault, while Unit 3 remains under maintenance.

As of late October, the country was generating around 1,296 megawatts against a national demand of 2,000 megawatts, resulting in intensified load-shedding across the country.