Best of Johannesburg

Who Supplies Electricity in Johannesburg: City Power or Eskom?

Published

4 months ago

May 12, 2025

Chiraag

If you’re unsure whether City Power or Eskom is responsible for your electricity, you’re not alone. In Johannesburg, your supplier depends entirely on your suburb.

As of 2025, most suburbs fall under City Power, while Eskom still supplies power to specific areas like Soweto and parts of Diepsloot and Orange Farm. Some zones are in a transition phase as City Power continues its phased takeover.

What Areas Does City Power Supply?

City Power is owned by the City of Johannesburg and supplies electricity to most of the metro, including:

Sandton
Randburg
Melville
Rosebank
Kensington
Braamfontein
Johannesburg CBD
Parts of Midrand

“If your electricity charges appear on your City of Johannesburg account, you’re a City Power customer.”

City Power also handles small user and large commercial power connections, smart meter installations, and technical upgrades.

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Image 1: MyBroadband

Which Areas Are Still Supplied by Eskom?

Eskom is still active in some Johannesburg areas – mostly in historically under-served regions. As of 2025, Eskom supplies:

Soweto
Orange Farm
Diepsloot
Finetown
Ivory Park (some areas)

Although City Power began taking over Eskom’s supply responsibilities in Soweto back in 2022, the transition remains incomplete. Many residents still deal directly with Eskom for billing, outages, and account queries.

Image 2: Algoa FM

Also read: https://www.joburgetc.com/johannesburg/backup-power-solutions-small-businesses-joburg/

How to Find Out Who Your Electricity Provider Is

If you’re unsure whether you’re under City Power or Eskom, here’s how to check:

1. Check Your Electricity Bill

If you receive your electricity bill via the City of Johannesburg, you’re with City Power.
If you get a separate Eskom bill, that’s your provider.

2. Look Up Your Area on City Power’s Website

Visit citypower.co.za and use the area lookup tool.
You can also contact City Power or Eskom directly to confirm.

Why Knowing Your Provider Matters

Your electricity supplier determines:

Where to report faults or outages
Which load shedding schedule applies to you
What billing system and rates you’re under
Who to contact for new connections or service upgrades

Using the wrong channel during a blackout could delay help by hours.

The 2025 Update: More Eskom Areas Moving to City Power

City Power continues expanding into Eskom-supplied areas. The process began with Soweto and is ongoing in 2025. The City of Johannesburg aims for a full transfer of all township distribution networks, pending infrastructure upgrades and Nersa approvals.

“City Power and Eskom are working on a seamless transition to improve service delivery across Johannesburg.” – City Power, April 2025

Image 3: Good Housekeeping