HARARE — Prominent Harare lawyer and opposition politician, Fadzayi Mahere has weighed in on the controversial suspension of Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) acting managing director, Engineer Abel Gurupira, describing the move as a “nonsensical abuse of power” and questioning both its legality and logic.
Gurupira’s suspension, which follows a high-profile power outage during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Tuesday has ignited widespread debate over accountability within Zimbabwe’s power utility and the government’s handling of the embarrassing incident.
In a strongly worded statement, Mahere said that while ZESA may have framed its decision as a suspension, the circumstances surrounding it pointed to a flawed and possibly unlawful process. “
“Legally speaking, he’s been suspended with pay and benefits.
“This would have been competent save for the fact that it would appear someone said ‘wadzingwa’ ie purported to dismiss him before complying with due process,” she said.
Mahere suggested that the suspension appeared to be a belated attempt to correct an earlier procedural misstep.
“The alleged suspension appears to be an attempt to walk back on this illegality.
“They possibly wanted to effect a summary dismissal but then were belatedly advised that that would be illegal,” said Mahere.
She further argued that Gurupira could challenge the suspension on grounds of procedural unfairness, noting that “the CEO should argue that he won’t get a fair hearing because his matter has been prejudged and so the hearing will not be fair.”
Beyond the question of legality, Mahere called into question the substance of the allegations against Gurupira, arguing that the decision reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of his responsibilities.
“This said, the more fundamental question to ask is—what is the charge?
“Why should the whole CEO of ZETDC be responsible for babysitting the logistical needs of Parliament? Does he work there?” she asked.
Mahere said the parliamentary power outage was a foreseeable incident that should have been mitigated by parliament’s own administrative preparations, not blamed on the head of the national power distributor.
“Most establishments have loadshedding during the day. A power cut was reasonably foreseeable.
“Why did Parliament not ensure it had reliable back-up power?” she asked, adding that “it’s clearly Parliament that was grossly negligent and disorganized.
Mahere said targeting Gurupira for the blackout was irrational and amounted to victimisation.
Her remarks came as ZESA confirmed that Gurupira had been suspended pending investigations into a series of recent power failures, including the blackout that interrupted Mnangagwa’s SONA and another outage at the ruling ZANU PF conference in Mutare.
In an internal memo to Gurupira, ZESA Group Chief Executive Officer Cletus Nyachowe controversially suspended the former.
“I am hereby suspending you from duty pending investigations, following a spate of power outages prior to the commencement of the ZANU PF Conference in Mutare and during the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on the 28th of October 2025,” wrote Nyachowe.
Nyachowe added that Gurupira would remain on full pay and benefits and was not to communicate with any ZESA Holdings staff during the suspension period.
The blackout, which left Mnangagwa delivering his address under torchlight for several minutes before power was restored, has embarrassed both Parliament and the national power utility.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda described the incident as unacceptable and hinted at possible sabotage, warning that those responsible “will regret the day they were born.”
Parliament later clarified that the new building had been operating on generator power, with ZESA electricity on standby, when a circuit breaker supplying the load tripped, plunging the chamber into darkness.
Despite that explanation, the ministry of energy pressured ZESA’s top management to take immediate disciplinary action, and several outlets reported that Gurupira had been dismissed outright before the company walked back to a formal suspension.
Mahere argued that such heavy-handedness exposed a culture of scapegoating and poor governance within state institutions.
“This is a nonsensical abuse of power.
“If they persist, he should sue them for unlawful or constructive dismissal,” said Mahere.
She concluded her statement with a broader critique of Zimbabwe’s leadership, saying, “We need new leaders.” Her comments have resonated widely on social media, where users echoed her calls for accountability, transparency, and professionalism in public administration.
Gurupira’s suspension is the latest episode in a long-running crisis within Zimbabwe’s electricity sector, marked by ageing infrastructure, frequent blackouts, and growing political interference.
The fallout from the SONA blackout has exposed deep institutional dysfunction, as government officials scramble to deflect blame rather than address systemic issues.
