Thousands Left Without Power After Second Mayfair Substation Explosion in Johannesburg

Extensive Outages Affect Hospitals and Broadcasters

The outage’s reach spans several key institutions and residential nodes. The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) in Auckland Park, Garden City Hospital in Mayfair, and neighbourhoods including Mayfair, Crown, Vrededorp, Brixton, Crosby, Pageview, Homestead Park and Amalgam have all been affected. The disruption has left communities without electricity since the second blast, while businesses and everyday life have been significantly hampered.

• Hospital services have been prioritised in the restoration efforts
• Water supply and other essential amenities are also impacted
• City Power has yet to provide a confirmed timeline for restoring full power to all affected areas

Sequence of Events at the Mayfair Substation

The explosion occurred shortly after 18:00, according to City Power, just as restoration of electricity was underway following an initial incident at the Mayfair substation. The new explosion knocked out supply not only to previously affected areas, but also cut power to customers who had not been part of the original outage.

Isaac Mangena, spokesperson for City Power, noted that electrical supply was restored briefly before the second explosion caused the system to trip again.

“The restoration held for a few minutes… unfortunately, it had to take us back and also knock out some of the areas that were initially not even affected by that.”

Emergency Management Services (EMS) responded, containing the fire from the blast, and then secured the scene. City Power stated that it took nearly 12 hours after the explosion for EMS to declare the area safe, allowing technical teams to return and begin assessing the damage.

Repair Operations and Assessment Process

Once safe entry was permitted, City Power’s teams began clearing debris and evaluating the extent of the damage. Burt equipment has to be removed, along with the damaged panel, and dry-ice cleaning is underway to salvage as much infrastructure as possible. Technical teams are also considering alternative ways to provide supply, such as channeling electricity from the Hursthill substation, but a solution has not yet been finalised.

The utility has indicated that the cause of the explosion is still unknown and will be investigated thoroughly. Repair plans have been initiated, with ongoing assessment of what materials and equipment will be necessary to proceed. City Power has emphasized the complexity of the repairs, citing both the initial fire and the subsequent explosion as causes of extensive damage.

Timeline for Restoration

While a full schedule has not been shared, City Power provided some updates on Wednesday morning. Mangena reported,

“I just spoke to the team now, the general manager leading the team, the restoration efforts in the area. So the team has done tremendous work… because it seems like the extent of the damage was huge, especially considering that there was an initial fire before this explosion happened during the restoration.”

He added that repairs on the feeder cables to the SABC are progressing quickly, with the broadcaster possibly regaining electricity by late Wednesday afternoon. Other areasincluding Brixton, Crosby, and Pageviewremain without power, as technical teams continue working on affected infrastructure and explore workarounds.

Priority: Essential Services

City Power has reiterated its commitment to prioritising hospitals and critical infrastructure throughout the restoration process. This approach is intended to minimise risk to public health and disruption to key services.

For healthcare and other essential services, City Power aims to complete repairs to severely affected cables and restore power by the evening, if progress continues as planned. However, without a clear restoration timetable for all areas, many residents and businesses remain uncertain about when their supply will return.

Broader Impacts and Next Steps

Power outages of this magnitude can have far-reaching implications for daily life, economic activity, and the safety of vulnerable populations. While emergency protocols and restoration teams are addressing the immediate fallout, City Power’s ongoing assessment will help determine both the technical fixes required and lessons for future resilience.

The situation remains fluid as investigations continue and updates are issued. Residents and businesses are urged to follow official communications for the latest developments regarding electricity restoration in their areas.