In brief
Zimbabwe's parliament experienced a sudden power outage during Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube's budget speech, plunging the chamber into darkness and leaving high-ranking officials including President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the dark. The incident illustrated the dire energy crisis gripping the nation, marked by daily blackouts that can last up to 12 hours. This situation has been exacerbated by a prolonged drought adversely affecting power generation at the Kariba Dam, Zimbabwe's primary energy source. As darkness fell, opposition members1 of parliament remarked that the blackout represented the current state of the nation effectively.
A spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa), George Manyaya, stated to local media that the blackout was unplanned, noting parliament normally has a dedicated electricity supply. He attributed the outage to a lightning strike. Before the lights went out, Minister Ncube had pointed out a projected 15% contraction in the agricultural sector this year due to ongoing drought conditions. However, he expressed optimism for a 6% economic growth next year, contingent on expected above-average rainfall which could improve both agriculture and electricity generation.
