Brace yourself: Eight-hour power cuts scheduled for parts of Joburg this weekend

If you were planning a relaxed weekend at home with the kettle on and the TV humming in the background, you might need a Plan B.

Large parts of Johannesburg, both north and south of the city are set to experience lengthy power outages of up to eight hours as City Power rolls out scheduled maintenance at key substations.

And yes, it’s going to feel like a throwback to peak load-shedding days.

South Joburg faces Sunday blackout

Residents in the southern suburbs will need to set their alarms early on Sunday. Maintenance work at the Mondeor Substation, which falls under the Reuven Service Delivery Centre in Region F, will see electricity cut from 8am to 4pm.

That’s a full working day without power.

The affected areas include Mondeor, Meredale, Naturena, Kibler Park and Alan Manor, along with several extensions in Mondeor, Ridgeway, Meredale and Winchester Hills.

For many small businesses think corner cafés, hair salons and home-based entrepreneurs eight hours offline is more than just an inconvenience. It’s lost income. Residents are already swapping tips on community WhatsApp groups about charging devices overnight and digging out gas stoves.

Northern suburbs start earlier

The disruptions begin even sooner for residents in parts of the north and central city.

On Friday, maintenance at the Cydna Substation, managed by the Alexandra Service Delivery Centre in Region E, will result in power being switched off from 9am to 5pm.

Suburbs affected include Athol, Melrose, Houghton, Houghton West, Illovo, Kent Park and Melrose Arch.

For areas like Melrose Arch known for its office spaces, hotels and steady weekday foot traffic the timing is particularly noticeable. While many businesses now have backup systems in place after years of load-shedding, not all residents are equally prepared.

Why the lights are going off

According to City Power, the interruptions are part of a broader service improvement programme.

The utility says the outages are necessary to carry out essential maintenance on its network infrastructure work it describes as part of an ongoing effort to deliver a more stable and reliable electricity supply.

In other words, short-term pain for long-term gain.

Johannesburg’s power grid has faced mounting strain over the years, with ageing infrastructure and rising demand putting pressure on substations across the metro. Planned maintenance like this is intended to prevent unplanned breakdowns the kind that can leave entire neighbourhoods in the dark without warning.

A familiar warning to residents

City Power has also reminded customers that electricity may be restored before the scheduled end times. That means residents should treat all power points as live throughout the day.

It’s standard safety advice but in a city where power sometimes flickers back unexpectedly, it’s worth repeating.

The utility has apologised for the inconvenience, acknowledging that eight hours without electricity disrupts homes and businesses alike.

How Joburg is reacting

On social media, the mood is mixed. Some residents welcome planned maintenance if it means fewer surprise outages down the line. Others are frustrated at the timing, especially heading into the weekend.

“Just when we thought we could rest,” one user commented on a local community page.

But if there’s one thing Johannesburg has mastered, it’s resilience. From backup inverters to braai grids and battery-powered Wi-Fi routers, households have adapted in ways that would have seemed extreme a decade ago.

This weekend will be no different.

For now, the best advice is simple: charge your devices, plan your meals and keep that kettle filled just in case.

{Source: The Citizen}

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