Mapaballo Borotho
- City Power warns that severe thunderstorms could disrupt electricity supply in Johannesburg.
- The utility says outages may increase and restoration times may be delayed due to flooding and access constraints.
- Residents are urged to prepare for dangerous weather conditions, including lightning, strong winds and hail.
City Power has warned that the severe thunderstorm warning issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) has the potential to significantly affect electricity supply and the utility’s operational response across the City of Johannesburg.
Forecasters expect severe thunderstorms this week, which could result in localised flooding of roads, settlements and low-lying bridges across Gauteng.
Residents have been cautioned to prepare for dangerous conditions, including excessive lightning, damaging winds and significant hailstorms.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena says Johannesburg usually experiences an increase in outages during these weather conditions, as well as slower restoration times due to access constraints.
“This warning comes at a time when City Power has already been under tremendous pressure due to sustained heavy rainfall over the past few weeks. We are still dealing with the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains, where outage calls exceeded 3 000 per day on average,” said Mangena.
A number of these outages became prolonged as teams were unable to respond timeously in certain areas due to flooded roads, unsafe working conditions and restricted access.
“Heavy rains and severe storms disrupt our work in several ways. Flooded and damaged roads, including closures implemented by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) for safety reasons, often prevent technicians from reaching affected sites,” Mangena added.
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