ZESA Blames Lightning For Parliament Blackout
Parliament was plunged into darkness on Thursday as Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube was concluding his 2025 national budget speech, following an unexpected power outage.
As the lights went out, President Emmerson Mnangagwa was escorted out of the darkened chamber while Parliamentβs backup generators took some time to kick in and restore power.
In an interview with ZimLive, ZESA spokesperson George Manyaya dismissed claims that the blackout was caused by load shedding, attributing the power failure instead to lightning.
Manyaya said that Parliament is on a dedicated power line exempt from load shedding. He said:
There was a storm in the parliament area and unfortunately lightning caused a temporary loss of power during the budget presentation.
Itβs an act of nature and definitely not load shedding as is being suggested on social media.
Zimbabweans are facing prolonged power cuts, with outages lasting up to 18 hours a day, as the countryβs power utility, ZESA, struggles to meet the growing electricity demand.
The power shortages are being exacerbated by a combination of factors, including low water levels at the Kariba Dam, which have significantly reduced hydroelectric power generation.
As a result, ZESA has been forced to cut down on its output from Kariba, one of the countryβs primary power sources.
Compounding the situation, Zimbabweβs ageing thermal power stations, particularly the Hwange Power Station, have become increasingly unreliable due to outdated infrastructure and maintenance challenges.
According to data from ZESAβs subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Power Company, the country was generating only 1,083 MW of electricity on Wednesday, far below the national demand of approximately 2,000 MW.
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