Johannesburg’s Inner City Plunged Into Darkness Amid Suspected Zama Zama Sabotage

On Saturday morning, large swaths of Johannesburg’s inner city woke up without power. Office towers, hotels, historic buildings and busy intersections that would normally be bustling with life stood eerily quiet, dim, and powerless. The cause? It appears to be the all-too-familiar culprits: cable theft and illegal mining.

City Power confirmed that early investigations strongly suggest illegal mining activity — often carried out by so-called zama zamas — played a central role in the latest blackout that has crippled Johannesburg’s CBD.

Zama Zama Activity Suspected in Tunnel Fire

The trouble began deep underground, in a service tunnel stretching from Harrison Street toward the Bree Substation. Emergency services cleared City Power to enter the site after ensuring that flare-ups had subsided. But carbon fumes and lingering air quality issues made the environment hazardous.

What they found was concerning. One section of the tunnel from Harrison Street to Bree Substation had been stripped of cables — a classic sign of theft. Another section toward Sauer Street showed widespread cable burn damage, likely caused by the illegal tampering that has become a persistent threat to Johannesburg’s infrastructure.

Buildings and Businesses Left in the Dark

The ripple effect of this destruction is massive. Some of Johannesburg’s most important commercial and cultural buildings remain without electricity. Among the affected locations are:

• New Stock Exchange

• Bank City No. 2

• Newtown Junction 1

• JCI Buildings

• OII Southern Sun

• Kerk Street East and Central

• Bree, Jeppe, De Villiers, and President Streets

• Von Brandis and Pritchard Streets

Shops, banks, and hotels have been forced to either close, run on generators, or operate in limited capacity. In a city that prides itself on being South Africa’s economic hub, the outage has stirred frustration and alarm.

City Power Working on Repairs, But Timeline Unclear

City Power is currently assessing the full extent of the damage. Speaking on behalf of the utility, General Manager Isaac Mangena offered an apology to affected residents and businesses. He emphasized that engineers are on the ground mapping out a repair plan.

While a separate issue in another part of the central network is nearly resolved, the inner-city outage caused by the tunnel fire and vandalism is expected to take longer to fix.

“We urge members of the public to assist us in the fight against cable theft and infrastructure vandalism by reporting suspicious activity,” said Mangena.

An Ongoing Urban Crisis

This is far from the first time that illegal mining has been linked to Johannesburg’s infrastructure woes. The city’s aging underground systems are frequently targeted by zama zamas who strip cables for their metal, often causing fires or collapses.

Beyond the physical danger, there’s the growing economic cost. Cable theft not only disrupts essential services but also places a heavy financial burden on the municipality and local businesses who bear the brunt of outages.

What You Can Do

If you live or work in Johannesburg, you’re not powerless in this situation. Reporting suspicious activity, especially in or around manholes, tunnels or substation areas, can make a real difference.

To report cable theft or suspicious behavior, contact City Power’s Risk Control on 011 490 7900 or Crime Line at 32211.

Let’s keep the lights on by protecting the infrastructure we all depend on.

{Source: Money Web}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com