By Patience Gondo
ZIMBABWE’S President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered part of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) under torchlight on Tuesday after a generator failure plunged the new Parliament Building in Mt Hampden into darkness.
The blackout occurred shortly before the President concluded his speech to mark the opening of the third session of the Eighth Parliament.
According to parliament officials, power to the building had been deliberately switched from the national grid to a hired generator ahead of the event. The arrangement was made to avoid a repeat of last year’s power outage that disrupted the presentation of the national budget.
However, the generator malfunctioned around 2:30 PM, cutting electricity to the main chamber while the President was still speaking. Aides quickly moved to illuminate Mnangagwa’s speech using a flashlight, allowing him to finish his address.
Witnesses on X said the President continued speaking as security officers and engineers worked to restore power.
Electricity returned several minutes later after the system was manually reconnected to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) line.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda later apologised for the incident, describing it as a technical failure and indicating that investigations were underway to determine the cause.
“It is proper that we apologise to His Excellency the President and the House for the electricity outage,” Mudenda said.
A letter from Parliament to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works dated October 21 directed that the event be powered primarily by a generator, with ZESA on standby.
The generator was to be serviced, tested and confirmed fit for uninterrupted operation, while ZESA engineers were instructed to be present for immediate response.
Officials later said the automatic switch-over to ZESA failed because a circuit breaker had not been correctly set, forcing engineers to restore power manually.
The Mt Hampden Parliament Building, officially opened in 2023, has previously experienced power interruptions linked to ZESA supply.
In November 2024, the presentation of the national budget was briefly halted when a 132-kilovolt feeder line supplying the area tripped during a thunderstorm and strong winds. Following that incident, Parliament adopted a backup plan to use generators as the main power source for major national events, keeping ZESA on standby.
Government spokesperson Ndavaningi Mangwana said the incident demonstrated the President’s resolve to fulfil his constitutional duty, describing the moment as symbolic of determination.
Zimbabwe continues to face persistent electricity shortages due to reduced generation capacity, ageing infrastructure, and limited imports, resulting in blackouts lasting several hours daily across the country.