Johannesburg – Residents across Johannesburg are facing a week of potential power disruptions as City Power implements planned maintenance in several areas, while Eskom continues with load-shedding and undertakes its own scheduled work.
Yesterday, Johannesburg residents were alerted to prepare for a planned power outage affecting 12 areas on Tuesday, 25 February 2025. The interruption takes place from 09:00 to 16:00 in some areas, while others will experience outages until 17:00.
According to the utility provider, the outage is necessary to conduct maintenance work on the electricity network, aimed at improving service reliability. Residents were advised to treat all electrical points as live, as power may be restored at any time.
The areas affected by City Power's planned maintenance, and their respective outage durations, are as follows:
09:00 – 16:00 (7 hours):
- Ferndale
- Beverly Gardens
- Fontainebleau
- Robindale
- President Ridge
- Windsor East
- Windsor Glen
- Vandia Grove
09:00 – 17:00 (8 hours):
- Mayibuye
- Rabie Ridge
- Friendship Town
- Kanana Ext. 4 and 5
Emergency Maintenance at Sebenza Substation
Adding to the electricity challenges, City Power Johannesburg is currently working to restore power to areas affected by emergency maintenance at the Sebenza intake substation. The affected locations include:
- Alexandra
- Inner City
- Reuven Service Delivery Centre (SDC) supply areas
City Power General Manager, Isaac Mangena, explained that an emergency isolation of the Sebenza substation was initiated on Monday, 24 February 2025, at 16:00 to facilitate urgent repairs on a vandalised earth link box.
Mangena confirmed that repairs have been completed, and power restoration is underway. He also clarified that this outage was not related to load-shedding, which remains scheduled as planned.
Eskom Load-Shedding Update
The power woes are further compounded by ongoing Eskom load-shedding. Eskom has confirmed that Stage 4 load-shedding will continue until 05:00 on Tuesday, 25 February 2025. Thereafter, Stage 2 load-shedding will take effect until further notice.
The adjustment follows the recovery of eight out of ten generation units. However, further energy replenishment is required to reach optimal levels.
According to Eskom, unplanned outages currently stand at 13,690MW, exceeding the summer outlook base case of 13,000MW, while planned maintenance is at 7,245MW.
Planned Eskom Outage in Sunninghill
Adding to the burden, Eskom has scheduled planned maintenance resulting in a 10-hour power outage in Sunninghill, Sandton in Johannesburg.
The maintenance is scheduled for Friday, 28 February from 8:30 – 18:00.
Eskom said there will be electricity supply disruption in Sunninghill due to maintenance that will be conducted on the distribution network.
“The power outage will affect customers in Sunninghill on Friday, 28 February, from 8:30 – 18:00. The interruption of electricity is necessary to perform essential maintenance on our distribution power lines,” the power utility said.
“Eskom in Gauteng conducts planned maintenance on the distribution electricity network across the province as part of its maintenance plan. It is essential for maintenance to be conducted to service the infrastructure to ensure the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the electricity supply,” Eskom added.
The planned power outage in Johannesburg will take place amid rolling blackouts that Eskom implemented at the weekend due to a temporary setback. Apart from that, water woes persist in parts of Johannesburg and Gauteng at large.
Safety Precautions
In the interest of safety, Eskom said customers should treat all electrical appliances as live at all times during the power outage.
“Eskom apologises for any inconvenience that may be caused by this maintenance. Should circumstances beyond the control of Eskom arise, the planned electricity maintenance may not proceed as communicated,” the power utility added.
In addition, Eskom said that should circumstances be beyond its control, the planned power outage in Sunninghill may not proceed as communicated.
This confluence of planned and unplanned outages, coupled with ongoing load-shedding, is placing a significant strain on Johannesburg residents and businesses. The situation underscores the urgent need for investment in infrastructure and improved management of the power grid to ensure a reliable electricity supply.
