'Power cut at Parly during SONA was deliberate'

Political analyst and staunch Mnangagwa loyalist Abigale Mupambi has downplayed the brief power outage that disrupted the State of the Nation Address (SONA), suggesting the incident was deliberate and not indicative of a national energy crisis.

Speaking after the blackout, which interrupted proceedings in Parliament and drew public scrutiny, Mupambi said: "I don't want to waste time dealing with a plug issue… Probably the plug was just put off and investigations are underway."

Her remarks come amid speculation that the outage symbolized deeper issues within Zimbabwe's energy sector. Critics have questioned the optics of such a disruption during a high-profile civic moment, while others have raised concerns about sabotage and state preparedness.

Mupambi defended the country's energy capacity, citing improvements following sector liberalisation and the rise of independent power producers complementing ZESA's efforts. She urged citizens to focus on opportunities emerging from new energy policies rather than sensationalizing the incident.

The activist's comments have sparked mixed reactions online—some applauding her blunt dismissal, others accusing her of trivializing a serious governance lapse.

As investigations continue, the incident has reignited debate around energy reliability, institutional accountability, and the symbolism of power in Zimbabwe's political theatre.