2030 chant powers Parly amid electricity outage

KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday walked out of a joint Parliamentary sitting where he presented his State of the Nation Address (SONA) the same way he had walked in moments earlier. There was glaring energy as some Members of Parliament chanted “2030 ndeyaEmmerson.”

This is in apparent support that nothing will stop Mnangagwa from going beyond his 2028 mandate as resolved by the Zanu PF Annual National People’s Conference in Bulawayo last year and supported for immediate implementation by the same indaba in Mutare, Manicaland province recently.

While the atmosphere was electrifying in his coming in and going out, a serious power outage left many with an opportunity to attack Mnangagwa’s administration for failure with those close to the President now crying sabotage and wanting heads to roll.

Mnangagwa endured over 15 minutes of darkness where he had to use the aid of a mobile phone torch while panic gripped the Chinese built Mt Hampden new Parliament building.

Panicky Members of Parliament could be heard chanting “Tiri safe here munoumu (Are we even safe in here).”

Others chanted “Chaora chinhu ichi (this thing is rotten) with some taking the cover of darkness to denounce the push to have Mnangagwa in power until 2030.

“Masangana nezvatosangana nazvo everyday (you have encountered what we encounter everyday),” other MPs chanted in apparent reference to the growing power outages millions of Zimbabweans endure every day.

But despite the chants, the President continued with his speech where he also highlighted what he described as key milestones.

However, what could not be hidden was the embarrassment on the faces of Mnangagwa’s aides and Ministers including Energy Minister July Moyo over what had happened to the President.

Just moments after the President concluded his address, the lights flickered back to life.

In came an opportunity for 2030 lobbyists.

“Mungadzime magetsi but mwenje we2030 haudzimike,” one MP chanted as Mnangagwa walked out, first greeting and appearing to be joking with the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda who looked apologetic for the power cuts.

Other MPs, including a handful from the opposition, sang “chisungo takasunga…” meaning “we have a binding (2030) resolution.”

Mudenda later issued a stern warning to whoever was behind the embarrassment.

“The person behind this mischief and embarrassment will regret the day he was born,” Mudenda warned.

Last year in November, the august house was plunged into darkness while Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube was presenting the 2025 National Budget in the presence of the President.

Despite the power crisis drama, the President raised concerns about the time Parliament is taking to enact bills brought before it.

He reminded lawmakers that bills brought before them have a bearing on people’s lives, thus imploring legislators to expedite their enactment.

Despite claims of sabotage, political analyst, Rejoice Ngwenya, thinks there could be a genuine reason for the incident but blamed lack of monitoring from engineers on the ground.

“If you’re completely naive, why would you want to do that during a national presentation? It doesn’t work like that. However, I would argue that it is reckless for engineers not to monitor the situation closely. During national events, contingency plans must be in place to ensure nothing goes wrong,” he added.

“No one wants to disadvantage the entire nation. There are countless reasons for electrical outages—it could be a sudden fault, load shedding, or a technical issue. To link a blackout to a specific event is simply too dramatic,” he remarked.

In reacting to the incident and another one that took place in Mutare towards the start of the Zanu PF Annual National People’s Conference, ZESA Holdings announced the suspension of Engineer Abel Gurupira, the Acting Managing Director for its subsidiary, the Zimbabwe Electricity and Distribution Company (ZETDC).

The memo, signed by Acting Chief Executive Officer Engineer Cletus Nyachowe, confirmed that Gurupira would receive full pay and benefits during his suspension pending the outcome of investigations.