---
title: "Darkness descends — Eskom confirms blackout in Zambia and Zimbabwe after ‘incident’"
description: "A synchronised blackout left Zambia and Zimbabwe without power on Tuesday. The Southern African Power Pool Coordination Centre is investigating the incident."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "POWER CUT"
author: "Ethan van Diemen"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ethan-van-diemen/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-12-18-darkness-descends-eskom-confirms-blackout-in-zambia-and-zimbabwe-after-incident/"
published: "2024-12-18T20:30:24"
updated: "2024-12-18T20:30:28"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 395
---

# Darkness descends — Eskom confirms blackout in Zambia and Zimbabwe after ‘incident’

> A synchronised blackout left Zambia and Zimbabwe without power on Tuesday. The Southern African Power Pool Coordination Centre is investigating the incident.

By Ethan van Diemen · Published 18 December 2024, 22:30 SAST · Updated 18 December 2024, 22:30 SAST

## Key points
- Zimbabwe and Zambia found themselves plunged into darkness yet again, thanks to a power system that seems to have taken its cues from a soap opera, with cascading failures in the Southern African Power Pool leaving the lights flickering out like a bad reality show.
- A synchronised blackout hit Zimbabwe and Zambia on Tuesday, following cascading failures in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), marking the second such incident in weeks.
- The National Transmission Company of South Africa clarified that the blackout was due to an "incident" rather than a power surge, emphasising automatic safety measures.
- Zimbabwe's electricity generation recently dropped to a 12-month low, contributing to an imbalance that triggered the blackout, according to the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company.
- The SAPP Coordination Centre is investigating the incident, while restoration efforts continue amid ongoing load shedding in affected areas.

## Content

At around 12.55 on Tuesday afternoon, the lights flickered and then failed across Zimbabwe and Zambia. This synchronised blackout, the [second](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd6v126z497o) in recent weeks, was triggered by cascading failures in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) — a cooperative framework meant to bolster regional energy resilience.

Towards the end of November, another such blackout occurred which was [attributed](https://znbc.co.zm/news/unexpected-development-on-zambia-zimbabwe-interconnect-caused-blackout/) to “an unexpected development on the Zambia-Zimbabwe [interconnector](https://www.sapp.co.zw/interconnectors)”.

The National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) — a wholly owned subsidiary of Eskom — told Daily Maverick that Tuesday’s incident was not a “power surge”, but rather an “incident, event or fault”.

“The tripping of lines occurs automatically to protect the power system and power equipment, and it is misleading to suggest that Eskom took a decision to disconnect the SAPP region.”

![SAPP grid map](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/SAPP-GRID-MAP-2021-v2.jpg)

*SAPP SADC grid map.**(Source:*[*SAPP*](https://www.sapp.co.zw)*)*

While this measure prevented potential damage within South Africa, it intensified cascading failures that left Zimbabwe and Zambia powerless. The incidents occurred when the lines between Mozambique, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe tripped.

The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) said an “imbalance in power on the international connections” caused the blackout.

In a [statement](https://x.com/ZetdcOfficial/status/1869057027273863381), the ZETDC said, “\[Zimbabwe Electricity Supply\] Holdings would like to advise its valued customers that the national grid experienced a system disturbance which resulted in a national blackout on Tuesday, December 17, 2024, at 1255 hours. This incident was caused by an imbalance in power on the international connections which affected the national grid of Zimbabwe and some parts of the region.

“Restoration to most parts of the country has been completed, except for areas under load shedding.”

The incident is being investigated by the SAPP Coordination Centre based in Harare.

The [Lusaka Times reported](https://equityaxis.net/post/18194/2024/12/zimbabwe-s-power-supply-plummets-to-lowest-level-in-over-12-months) that on Monday, a day before the blackout, Zimbabwe's power generation plummeted to its lowest level in more than 12 months, with daily electricity production hitting 736MW. For context, just one of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s two units can produce 970MW.

Eskom is Africa’s largest electricity producer, supplying nearly 30% of the continent’s power. Accordingly, it plays a critical role in the SAPP.

Complementing this is the NTCSA, which operates under a National Energy Regulator of South Africa-issued licence which allows the NTCSA to manage imports, exports and the trade of electricity within the SAPP, ensuring the interconnected grid functions smoothly and efficiently. **DM**