City Power battles more than 2 400 outage calls as Joburg freezes

City Power is managing an exceptionally high backlog of outage calls as freezing, wet weather drives electricity demand across Johannesburg. According to The Citizen, the utility has asked residents to cut consumption while its teams work to restore supply.

Backlog of outages

According to The Citizen, City Power was dealing with more than 2 400 open outage calls across the city despite round‑the‑clock restoration efforts. The publication reported that City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility was battling a backlog of 2 450 open outage calls across its eight Service Delivery Centres (SDCs).

Service centres with highest open calls

The Citizen quoted Mangena with a breakdown of current open calls:

“The figures show that Lenasia currently has the highest number of open calls at 455, followed by Hursthill with 445, Randburg with 357, Reuven with 354, Inner City with 343, Alexandra with 257, Roodepoort with 201 and Midrand with 38,” Mangena said.

Demand, weather and repair challenges

According to The Citizen, Mangena warned that surging demand during peak hours was overloading transformers and substations, while wet ground was slowing repair work. The publication carried Mangena’s explanation that a number of faults, particularly underground cable faults, require technicians to carry out fault finding followed by excavation and trenching to expose the affected cable before repairs can begin.

The Citizen quoted Mangena on the practical risks:

“Where the ground is waterlogged, excavation may be unsafe or impractical, while open trenches can accumulate water and expose electrical infrastructure to further risk,” he said.

Appeal to residents

According to The Citizen, City Power appealed to residents to help ease the strain on the network. Mangena urged customers to reduce unnecessary consumption, especially between 05h00-09h00 and 17h00-21h00, and to avoid using several high‑consumption appliances at once.

The Citizen also quoted Mangena noting the change in open-call totals over the day:

“This follows 2 585 open calls recorded this morning, meaning that despite technical teams working throughout the day to restore supply and close outstanding calls, the overall backlog remains exceptionally high as new faults continue to be reported.”

Restoration and safety

According to The Citizen, Mangena said City Power would not compromise the safety of employees, contractors or the public to accelerate restoration during unsafe weather conditions. The publication reported that City Power apologised to customers experiencing prolonged outages and appealed for patience as teams continue working under difficult weather and network conditions to restore supply.