Staff Reporter
Widespread electricity outages in Johannesburg on Wednesday have affected hospitals, a police station, a wastewater treatment plant and dozens of suburbs, with City Power warning that its distribution network was under severe pressure.
Shortly before 10:30am, an independent live tracker compiling City Power’s public notifications listed 31 active incidents affecting 51 Johannesburg suburbs.
ALSO READ: IDAC head Andrea Johnson invokes right against self-incrimination at Madlanga Commission
The number was changing as City Power announced restorations and recorded new faults, but the notices showed failures stretching from Roodepoort and Randburg in the west to Alexandra and Sandringham in the north-east, and from the inner city to Lenasia and Mulbarton in the south.
“Warning: The power system is constrained. We urge customers to reduce their electricity consumption to prevent overloading the system,” City Power said in an Alexandra Service Delivery Centre update.
The centre was dealing with 245 open calls, ranging from major equipment failures to individual household outages, City Power said.
Alexandra was experiencing several simultaneous failures. Burnt medium-voltage cables and a failed ring main unit at Vasco da Gama Switching Station affected West Bank and customers between First and 18th avenues, while only about 57% of supply had been restored to the Adam Block distributor after overhead lines snapped.
Other faults affected Kew, Atholl, Elton Hill, Inanda, Illovo, Hyde Park, Marlboro and several parts of Alexandra, with some distributors between 96% and 98% restored but individual load centres remaining off.
In the Midrand service area, an unplanned outage affected the National Health Laboratory Service, Elphin Lodge, Sandringham Police Station, Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital, Rand Aid and surrounding properties. City Power said operators had been dispatched but had not yet established the cause of the failure.
The Reuven service centre reported another outage at Wemmer Substation affecting Mulbarton extensions 1, 2, 3 and 4, with operators sent to investigate. City Power notices also listed outages or unresolved work affecting parts of Rosettenville, The Hill, Winchester Hills, Nasrec and Reuven during the preceding day.
In Lenasia, a prolonged fault linked to Nancefield Substation’s Olifantsvlei 1 feeder continued to affect the Olifantsvlei Wastewater Treatment Works. City Power attributed the outage to several incidents of cable theft and said repairs had been complicated by a concrete obstruction and delays in obtaining additional material. Its latest update said technicians would also attend to low-voltage calls recorded during the previous 24 hours.
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Randburg was dealing with an unplanned interruption in Bryanston, where operators were dispatched on Wednesday morning, while other active or unresolved failures affected Blairgowrie, Darrenwood, Robin Hills, Robindale and Windsor West. Supply was largely restored in parts of Windsor, Northwold, Sharonlea, Olivedale and Northriding, but damaged or stolen cables and faulty equipment left some customers without electricity.
Inner-city
In the inner-city service area, City Power reported an outage affecting Bellevue and Observatory and said operators had been dispatched to establish its cause. A separate outage in Jeppestown was about 95% restored, with technicians still working to reconnect the remaining customers.
The Hursthill service centre was also contending with a cable fault affecting Brixton, where repair work had been delayed while City Power awaited approval for a wayleave permit. Other unresolved faults in the service area had affected Industria, Bosmont, Crown Mines and Amalgam, with some incidents dating back several days.
Roodepoort experienced repeated interruptions overnight. Electricity was restored at about 05:16 to Weltevreden Park, Allen’s Nek, Radiokop, Strubens Valley, Little Falls and Wilgeheuwel after City Power attributed the outage to an overloaded network, but the service centre continued to report additional incidents in the Roodepoort area later in the morning.
City Power has been under severe pressure over its bulk electricity account. Eskom said Johannesburg and City Power owed it R5.28 billion as of 11 June, comprising R2.70 billion in overdue current charges and R2.58 billion outstanding under a settlement agreement made an order of court.
Eskom extended the deadline for public submissions on its proposed reduction, interruption or termination of supply at certain Johannesburg bulk supply points from June 17 to July 17 after an earlier intervention by Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
That deadline has now passed, but the administrative process remains active after Eskom said City Power failed to meet its payment obligations. Eskom is due to announce the outcome on Friday.
Staff Reporter
Widespread electricity outages in Johannesburg on Wednesday have affected hospitals, a police station, a wastewater treatment plant and dozens of suburbs, with City Power warning that its distribution network was under severe pressure.
Shortly before 10:30am, an independent live tracker compiling City Power’s public notifications listed 31 active incidents affecting 51 Johannesburg suburbs.
ALSO READ: IDAC head Andrea Johnson invokes right against self-incrimination at Madlanga Commission
The number was changing as City Power announced restorations and recorded new faults, but the notices showed failures stretching from Roodepoort and Randburg in the west to Alexandra and Sandringham in the north-east, and from the inner city to Lenasia and Mulbarton in the south.
“Warning: The power system is constrained. We urge customers to reduce their electricity consumption to prevent overloading the system,” City Power said in an Alexandra Service Delivery Centre update.
The centre was dealing with 245 open calls, ranging from major equipment failures to individual household outages, City Power said.
Alexandra was experiencing several simultaneous failures. Burnt medium-voltage cables and a failed ring main unit at Vasco da Gama Switching Station affected West Bank and customers between First and 18th avenues, while only about 57% of supply had been restored to the Adam Block distributor after overhead lines snapped.
Other faults affected Kew, Atholl, Elton Hill, Inanda, Illovo, Hyde Park, Marlboro and several parts of Alexandra, with some distributors between 96% and 98% restored but individual load centres remaining off.
In the Midrand service area, an unplanned outage affected the National Health Laboratory Service, Elphin Lodge, Sandringham Police Station, Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital, Rand Aid and surrounding properties. City Power said operators had been dispatched but had not yet established the cause of the failure.
The Reuven service centre reported another outage at Wemmer Substation affecting Mulbarton extensions 1, 2, 3 and 4, with operators sent to investigate. City Power notices also listed outages or unresolved work affecting parts of Rosettenville, The Hill, Winchester Hills, Nasrec and Reuven during the preceding day.
In Lenasia, a prolonged fault linked to Nancefield Substation’s Olifantsvlei 1 feeder continued to affect the Olifantsvlei Wastewater Treatment Works. City Power attributed the outage to several incidents of cable theft and said repairs had been complicated by a concrete obstruction and delays in obtaining additional material. Its latest update said technicians would also attend to low-voltage calls recorded during the previous 24 hours.
ALSO READ: Court to rule Friday on Ramaphosa’s bid to halt impeachment inquiry
Randburg was dealing with an unplanned interruption in Bryanston, where operators were dispatched on Wednesday morning, while other active or unresolved failures affected Blairgowrie, Darrenwood, Robin Hills, Robindale and Windsor West. Supply was largely restored in parts of Windsor, Northwold, Sharonlea, Olivedale and Northriding, but damaged or stolen cables and faulty equipment left some customers without electricity.
Inner-city
In the inner-city service area, City Power reported an outage affecting Bellevue and Observatory and said operators had been dispatched to establish its cause. A separate outage in Jeppestown was about 95% restored, with technicians still working to reconnect the remaining customers.
The Hursthill service centre was also contending with a cable fault affecting Brixton, where repair work had been delayed while City Power awaited approval for a wayleave permit. Other unresolved faults in the service area had affected Industria, Bosmont, Crown Mines and Amalgam, with some incidents dating back several days.
Roodepoort experienced repeated interruptions overnight. Electricity was restored at about 05:16 to Weltevreden Park, Allen’s Nek, Radiokop, Strubens Valley, Little Falls and Wilgeheuwel after City Power attributed the outage to an overloaded network, but the service centre continued to report additional incidents in the Roodepoort area later in the morning.
City Power has been under severe pressure over its bulk electricity account. Eskom said Johannesburg and City Power owed it R5.28 billion as of 11 June, comprising R2.70 billion in overdue current charges and R2.58 billion outstanding under a settlement agreement made an order of court.
Eskom extended the deadline for public submissions on its proposed reduction, interruption or termination of supply at certain Johannesburg bulk supply points from June 17 to July 17 after an earlier intervention by Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
That deadline has now passed, but the administrative process remains active after Eskom said City Power failed to meet its payment obligations. Eskom is due to announce the outcome on Friday.
