Not even the presence of SADC Chairman and Supreme Ruler of the Second Republic, Cde Ruka Chivende, could stop ZESA from delivering its most electrifying protest yet, literally.

In a move dripping with symbolism, ZESA ensured that Cde Chivende himself experienced firsthand the daily blackout reality that ordinary Zimbabweans endure for 18 hours at a stretch.

Call it a masterclass in equal opportunity suffering.

Lights Out on Mthuli’s Sermon

Just as Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube was passionately preaching his 2025 taxation gospel, complete with promises of “inclusive growth” and an economic resurrection ZESA pulled the plug.

The New Parliament building instantly transformed into a cavern of darkness, save for the eerie glow of legislators’ cellphone torches, twinkling like budget fireflies.

Was this an omen? Perhaps.

A visual metaphor for the bleak, tax-burdened future awaiting Zimbabweans under Ncube’s latest fiscal concoction.

If ZESA’s timing was deliberate, then bravo! Few protests have been as poetic.

A Tax for Everyone, Everywhere

The 2025 National Budget reads like a dystopian manual for squeezing a stone until it bleeds.

True to the “Leave No One Behind” mantra, the government’s plan is simple: if you breathe, you pay.

Escaped the infamous 2% tax? Worry not, buy a doughnut or a hotdog, and you’ll still contribute to the national fiscus.

Unemployed? No problem.

If you manage to eke out a win at the betting halls (which are now the nation’s most vibrant “job creators”), a 10% tax will be waiting to clip your wings of fortune.

And there you have it, “Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo” (the country is built by its people), one tax at a time.

ZESA’s Bold Rejection

By plunging Parliament into darkness mid-budget, ZESA might as well have been shouting, “Enough is enough!”

Mthuli’s long-winded economic sermon wasn’t just interrupted it was symbolically vetoed by the very institution responsible for keeping the lights on, or off, depending on their mood.

But let’s not be too harsh on ZESA.

They’re only staying consistent with their mandate: ensuring Zimbabweans live in perpetual darkness, both literally and figuratively.

If the citizens are taxed into oblivion, ZESA figures they might as well practice fiscal solidarity by disapproving the budget on their behalf.

Building Darkness Together

This is the Second Republic’s vision in action: a nation united in shared hardship.

Whether you’re a struggling family lighting candles in Chitungwiza, a farmer watching crops wither in drought-stricken Gokwe, or a legislator groping for your phone flashlight in Parliament, ZESA ensures no one is left behind.

Mthuli Ncube may dream of economic revival, but ZESA’s message is clear: until we solve the power crisis, Zimbabwe will remain in the dark literally, metaphorically, and financially.

And so, the lights go out, the taxes roll in, and the Second Republic marches forward with unmatched determination to build a nation where even darkness is taxed.