Johannesburger households warned to brace for maintenance wave as City Power schedules extensive outages

The immediate impact falls on johannesburger residents and businesses in targeted suburbs: planned maintenance across February and March will produce multiple scheduled interruptions, and some restorations may be delayed if weather interferes. Households supplied by specific substations should prepare for daytime outages and treat supply points as live; the city’s stretched system and a large asset renewal backlog mean some neighborhoods will see repeated disruption.

Johannesburger communities that will feel the strain first

City Power has outlined a packed maintenance plan affecting multiple substations and switching stations. The utility describes the electricity system as "constrained" and is urging people to reduce consumption where possible to avoid additional strain and unplanned blackouts. Technical teams are responding continuously to faults logged by residents, and there are currently no widespread daily outages though interruptions are addressed as they are reported.

Planned maintenance schedule and affected suburbs (selected entries)

Key scheduled interruptions and targeted areas include the following planned works and affected suburbs. Supply may be restored at any time during these windows, so customers are asked to treat supply points as live.

• Alexandra: interruption on Wednesday, 25 February, from 09: 00 to 17: 00 — West Bank, Far East Bank extensions 9 and 10, and parts of Lombardy East affected.
• Lunar Substation: offline on Thursday, 26 February, 09: 00–17: 00 — Univille, Lawley, Finetown, Mountain View, Ennerdale Ext. 8, and Lenasia South affected.
• Siermert Substation: maintenance on Sunday, 1 March — Berea, Troyeville, Jeppestown, Fairview, Highlands, Doornfontein, New Doornfontein and the Johannesburg CBD affected.
• Early March: planned work at the Commercial Switching Station and Star Point Switching Station (specific dates unclear in the provided context).
• Later in the month: Riviera, Mondeor, Meredale, Naturena, Kibler Park and Alan Manor are earmarked for interruptions.
• Mid-March: maintenance affecting areas served by Hursthill Substation, Noordwyk Switching Station, Unisa Switching Station and First Avenue Switching Station in Roodepoort North.

Region F — Mondeor Substation interruption and list of affected extensions

If you are supplied by Mondeor Substation, brace for a planned interruption scheduled for 08: 00 to 16: 00 on 8 March. Affected areas include Alan Manor, Kibler Park, Naturena, Meredale, Meredale Ext 2, 4, 9 and 26, Mondeor, Mondeor Ext 3, 4 and 5, Ridgeway Ext 3, 4, 5 and 8, and Winchester Hills Ext 1, 2 and 3. The interruption is described as necessary to carry out essential maintenance as part of ongoing service-improvement work.

For clarity or questions, customers are given contact points: call 011 490 7484 or the toll-free number 0800 202 925.

System condition, causes and the scale of upgrades needed

City Power summaries and the city’s Infrastructure Plan 1. 0 (2024/25) show a substantial asset-renewal backlog valued at R44. 25-billion. The plan links recurring outages to ageing and deteriorating infrastructure and flags public health and safety risks tied to failing assets. The utility identifies multiple causes for ongoing interruptions: ageing infrastructure, network overloading, vandalism, cable theft and illegal electricity connections.

The network picture in numbers: across 269 substations much equipment has exceeded intended lifespans; of 216 power transformers, about 20% are classified as high risk because of age and insulation deterioration; and of 717 feeder boards, roughly 10% require replacement. Repeated interruptions in the same areas are often tied to sustained pressure from high demand and dense illegal connections.

• Here's the part that matters: scheduled maintenance is proactive but sits against a heavy backlog and vulnerable equipment, so interruptions could repeat and restorations can be delayed by bad weather.

It's easy to overlook, but many core components — underground cables, substations and transformers — are between 60 and nearly 100 years old, which helps explain why maintenance is both frequent and extensive.

• Annual timeline highlights: 25 February interruption in Alexandra; 26 February Lunar Substation works; 1 March Siermert Substation maintenance; 8 March Mondeor Substation planned interruption; mid-March works in Roodepoort North. Schedule subject to change.

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Key takeaways:

• Residents in named suburbs should plan for daytime outages and treat electricity points as live at all times.
• Weather can delay restorations; scheduled work may be rescheduled or take longer than the posted windows.
• The utility is under a large R44. 25-billion renewal burden, with a significant share of transformers and feeder boards flagged for risk or replacement.
• Repeated outages in specific neighborhoods are tied to high demand and illegal connections, compounding infrastructure stress.

The real question now is how quickly upgrades will be prioritised against the renewal backlog and whether the maintenance cadence will reduce repeat interruptions in the hardest-hit areas.

Editor’s note: the contact numbers and scheduled windows listed here are those provided in the maintenance notices; readers in affected suburbs should use the call centre numbers above for updates.