Cold front strains electricity supply in Joburg
City Power says it is dealing with almost 3,700 power outage calls on Tuesday, mostly from Hursthill, Reuven and Lenasia
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The Delta substation in Hurlingham, Johannesburg, was still down at midday on Tuesday after operators attempted to restore power, but the system tripped again. Photo: Seth Thorne
- Johannesburg’s power network is battling to cope with thousands of service requests due to outages across the metro, with cold weather, ageing infrastructure, illegal connections, theft and vandalism worsening the crisis.
- City Power says it is working around the clock to clear the backlog but is struggling to cope as new faults are logged.
- JoburgCAN says poor maintenance, underinvestment and City Power’s liquidity problems are behind the outages and delayed repairs.
As the cold and wet conditions make landfall across Johannesburg, the City’s ailing electricity network is buckling under “significant pressure” from increased demand.
According to statements by City Power, as of Tuesday morning on 11 August, there were almost 3,700 power outage calls across eight service delivery centres (SDCs) and over 2,400 calls on Monday alone. The most calls came from Hursthill, Reuven and Lenasia.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said technical teams were working around the clock but “overall backlog remains exceptionally high as new faults continue to be reported”.
Inclement weather has delayed restoration efforts, including the excavation of underground cables and causing increased demand on the network, said Mangena.
He said City Power “will not compromise the safety of employees, contractors or the public” to speed up repairs in dangerous conditions.
Residents have been urged to reduce electricity consumption, particularly during peak hours.
Other services affected by the outages include water supply. The electricity outage at the Crosby pump station left the pumps inoperable, affecting the Hursthill and Brixton reservoirs.
The Cydna substation tripped on Tuesday, with technical teams not yet on site by midday. Photo: Seth Thorne
Why the grid is failing
City Power said the problem is compounded in areas where there are illegal connections, meter bypassing and unplanned developments, and where infrastructure is already operating beyond its designed capacity.
According to Julia Fish, director of JoburgCAN, the power outages are exposing years of inadequate maintenance and investment in the electricity network.
Fish said the City should “ensure that system maintenance and investment in infrastructure was made before winter” to avoid outages.
While City Power’s capital expenditure budget appears relatively healthy, Fish adds that its “operations budget has severely constrained things like their ability to have security for the network” or maintain the broader supply chain.
Fish also criticised the City’s historical practice of “sweeping accounts”, where money is taken from municipal utilities and is not necessarily returned. She argued that this has weakened City Power’s operational stability, while rising electricity costs and unreliable supply force some residents to use dangerous alternatives.
City Power technicians working on an electrical connection in the township of Alexandra. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
A network under strain
The Auditor-General’s 2024/25 Consolidated General Report on Local Government Audit Outcomes highlights the extent of the power utility’s financial and operational problems.
Over the past four financial years, City Power recorded almost R19-billion in electricity losses.
The AG linked the losses to delays in infrastructure delivery, weak project management and a lack of proactive maintenance, which have undermined the reliability of electricity services.
City Power was also identified as one of the largest contributors to irregular expenditure among metros since 2021/22, with nearly R12-billion in irregular expenditure.
The AG further flagged weak performance reporting and unreliable system-generated information, limiting effective oversight.
The latest quarterly report by City Power shows that it is facing a R44-billion infrastructure backlog, persistent electricity losses of about 30%, rising vandalism and a worsening financial position, with critical infrastructure projects being deferred.
The entity recorded R19.1 billion net overdraft, expenses 14% above budget, and a R2-billion deficit against a projected R473-million surplus.
About 60% of outages are attributed to deteriorating infrastructure, while 20% are linked to theft and vandalism.
Security incidents are also rising, with 208 cable thefts and 93 vandalism incidents recorded in the first three months of the year.
Approximately R28.3 billion has been allocated to City Power for operating expenditure, alongside a R6.7-billion capital programme over the medium term.
According to finance MMC Loyiso Masuku, the allocation is intended to support grid strengthening, smart metering, electricity loss reduction, informal settlement electrification, public lighting, embedded generation and renewable energy projects.
However, the City has acknowledged that the infrastructure deficit across electricity, water and roads is seemingly insurmountable, especially given that the allocation was given in an unfunded budget.
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