Tinotenda Hove – The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) Managing Director, Abel Gurupira, has been fired with immediate effect following a humiliating power outage that plunged Parliament into darkness while President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered his State of the Nation Address on Tuesday.

According to Crime Watch, Energy Minister July Moyo directed ZESA Holdings Group CEO, Cletus Nyachowe, to dismiss Gurupira and initiate an internal investigation into the incident.

A confidential internal memo released on Wednesday confirmed Gurupira’s removal, citing “leadership failure” and the need for “immediate corrective action” following the embarrassing blackout.

A ZETDC insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “This blackout was entirely unacceptable. The leadership wanted immediate accountability, and Gurupira’s removal was a direct result of that failure.”

The unexpected outage forced President Mnangagwa to continue his national address under torchlight, an incident that has drawn widespread embarrassment and criticism both within government circles and among the public.

As of Wednesday evening, Minister July Moyo had not yet issued an official statement on the matter.