Joburg freeze leaves thousands without power as City Power battles huge backlog

Freezing weather and wet conditions have driven electricity demand in Johannesburg to critical levels, leaving thousands of customers without supply as City Power struggles to keep up with a growing backlog of faults.

Backlog and scale of the problem

According to The Citizen, City Power has appealed to Johannesburg residents to cut electricity use as freezing, wet weather drives demand to critical levels, leaving more than 2 400 outage calls open across the city despite round‑the‑clock restoration efforts.

The Citizen reports that the utility was battling a backlog of 2 450 open outage calls across its eight Service Delivery Centres, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said.

“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.” Isaac Mangena, quoted by The Citizen

Local call volumes are concentrated in several areas. The Citizen said Lenasia has the highest number of open calls at 455, followed by Hursthill at 445, Randburg 357, Reuven 354, Inner City 343, Alexandra 257, Roodepoort 201 and Midrand 38.

Why restoration is slow

City Power has warned that surging demand during peak hours is overloading transformers and substations, and that wet, waterlogged ground is hampering repair work. The Citizen quoted Mangena saying wet ground is slowing restoration and can make excavation unsafe or impractical.

The Citizen reported that a number of electricity faults, particularly underground cable faults, require technicians to conduct fault finding followed by excavation and trenching to expose the affected cable before repairs can begin. Where the ground is waterlogged, excavation may be unsafe or impractical and open trenches can accumulate water, exposing electrical infrastructure to further risk.

Appeal to residents and practical steps

City Power and spokesperson Isaac Mangena have urged residents to reduce consumption during peak hours. The Citizen says customers were asked to limit use between 05h00–09h00 and 17h00–21h00 and to avoid using several high‑consumption appliances at once.

• Reduce non‑essential use of heaters, kettles, stoves and geysers.
• Unplug appliances that are not needed.
• Stagger use of high‑consumption devices rather than running many at once.
• Use blankets and layer clothing to keep warm where possible.
• Report outages and check municipal updates via City Power channels.

What officials say next

The Citizen reported Mangena asking for patience as technical teams work under difficult and unsafe weather conditions, and said City Power will prioritise restoration according to the extent of outages and public safety considerations.