By Mapaballo Borotho
- Several Johannesburg suburbs have been without electricity since a fire-related incident at the Fordsburg substation over the weekend.
- City Power says the fire primarily affected underground high-voltage cables, although supply has since been restored to several areas and Rand Water has resumed its pumping operations.
- The utility is still assessing damage to the remaining affected substations, with full restoration aimed for the end of Monday, subject to the extent of the damage.
Some suburbs in Johannesburg have been without electricity for two days, leaving residents and businesses stranded. The outage also affected some Rand Water pumping operations due to the loss of electricity supply.
The power outage was caused by a fire-related incident at the Fordsburg substation over the weekend.
“Teams worked around the clock overnight following the handover of the site by Emergency Management Services (EMS), after the fire was extinguished and smoke cleared from the underground tunnels. The incident primarily affected high-voltage cables located underground,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
On Monday, 24 August 2026, Mangena said supply had since been restored to some areas, enabling Rand Water to resume its pumping operations.
“However, Bree, Braamfontein and Johane’s substations remain off, affecting parts of Johannesburg CBD, Newtown, Hillbrow, Parktown, Parktown West, Braamfontein, Mayfair, Bank City, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Junction Mall and Wits University East Campus,” he added.
Mangena said City Power is continuing to assess the extent of the damage and determine the most appropriate restoration approach for the remaining affected substations.
He said that, at this stage, an exact restoration time for the remaining affected areas remains unknown.
“However, the aim is to restore full supply by the end of today, subject to the extent of the damage and the work required.”
Power supply has since been restored to the majority of the affected substations and areas, including parts of Kibler Park, Chrisville, Mayfield Park, Mondeor, Naturena, Eikenhof, Robertsham, Alveda Park, Ormonde, Comptonville, Meredale, Eldorado Park, New Eldorado Park, Nancefield, Nirvana, Soweto, Brixton East, Riverlea, Crosby, Langlaagte and surrounding areas.
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