A sudden power outage at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) caused a 15-minute delay in Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s speech during a business conference. The organisers have apologised for the disruption, citing an unexpected fault on the main power line and a technical issue with the backup generator.

“The outage of electricity earlier was due to an unexpected fault on the power line into the fairgrounds,” the ZITF organisers explained. “We seem to have experienced an overload on the normal power line. The conference backup generator… developed a technical fault.”

The power went out just as Industry and Trade Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu invited Chiwenga to speak, leaving the room in darkness. Power was briefly restored after five minutes but went out again, requiring technicians to switch to a backup generator.

The ZITF Board and Management apologised for the inconvenience, stating, “We wish to apologize for any inconvenience and discomfort caused.” They also highlighted efforts to upgrade the facility into a smart city, including solarising exhibition halls and the auditorium.