Joburg to experience 8-hour power outage this weekend

City Power has announced a series of planned power outages across several areas in Johannesburg from Thursday through to Sunday, with maintenance operations scheduled to affect thousands of residents and businesses. The electricity interruptions form part of City Power’s ongoing infrastructure maintenance programme aimed at improving service delivery and grid reliability.

Although load shedding has been temporarily suspended, these scheduled outages will occur independently of Eskom’s national power grid management and will primarily affect customers connected to local City Power substations.

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When and Where Will the Power Outage Happen?

The planned power cuts are expected to last up to eight hours on designated days, with time slots ranging from 8am to 4pm, or 9am to 5pm, depending on the location. These disruptions are critical to allowing technicians to conduct preventative maintenance, substation upgrades, and infrastructure checks across key regions of Johannesburg.

Thursday: Olivedale and Lufhereng Affected

On Thursday, two major suburbs in Region B and Region C will be impacted:

Region B – Olivedale Substation Outage (9am to 5pm)

Residents and businesses in parts of Olivedale will experience a full-day outage while maintenance crews work at the Olivedale Substation. Affected areas include:

• Olivedale ext.2
• Olivedale ext.3
• Olivedale ext.6
• Olivedale ext.7
• Olivedale ext.21
• Vandia Grove

City Power has indicated that while only Olivedale ext.2 is specifically mentioned, surrounding areas in Region B, like Bryanston ext.3, Ferndale, Johannesburg North, Juskei Park, and Meadowhurst may also experience related disruptions.

Region C – Lufhereng Substation Outage (8am to 4pm)

In Region C, Lufhereng will undergo a full-day electricity interruption due to essential maintenance at the local substation.

Saturday: Industrial Zones Hit by Rescheduled Power Outage

A previously planned outage at the Orlando Switching Station has been moved to Saturday, with industrial zones in Region B facing power cuts from 8am to 2pm.

The impacted industrial areas include:

• Riverlea
• Yeast Pro 1 & 2
• Watt Street
• Parson Street
• Bunsen Street South
• Breweries Riverlea
• Eastern Industria
• Bosmont
• Maraisburg
• Industria North
• Slovo Crosby 1 & 2
• Lowethal Industrial West
• Longdale
• George Scott
• Springbok Street
• Telford Street
• Paarlshop
• Nobel Street
• Vega Street 1, 2 & 3
• Industria South

These industrial zones are key contributors to Johannesburg’s manufacturing and logistics economy, and City Power has urged companies to plan accordingly.

Sunday: Gresswold Substation to Affect Northern Suburbs

On Sunday, from 8am to 2pm, Region E suburbs linked to the Gresswold Substation will experience temporary outages. This affects a wide stretch of residential and commercial zones:

• Bramley Gardens
• Bramley Park / Athol
• Crystal Gardens
• Glenhazel & Glenhazel South
• Kew Central / South / West
• Bramley View
• Linksfield North ext. 7–11
• Lyndhurst East
• Pretoria Main Road
• Rembrandt Park & Silvamont
• Sunningdale
• Wynberg East / Kew / Number 1 & 2

These areas include a mix of densely populated residential streets and business nodes. City Power has advised residents to switch off sensitive appliances to avoid power surge damage when the electricity returns.

Why These Maintenance Power Outages Are Necessary

City Power has emphasised that these interventions are not part of load shedding, but rather form part of a long-term strategy to enhance power stability. According to their public statement:

“The interruption is necessary to do maintenance work on our network, which is part of our programme of constantly striving to provide a better service.”

By proactively addressing infrastructure issues now, City Power aims to reduce unplanned outages and system failures in the future.

Safety Advice and Public Reminder

Residents have been urged to treat all electrical outlets as live during the outage windows. Power may be restored earlier or later than announced, depending on the scope of work and field conditions.

“As the supply may be restored at any time, customers are urged to always treat their electricity supply points as live,” the utility noted in its advisory.

Additionally, residents should unplug devices, secure backup power sources, and consider scheduling errands or home-based work outside of affected times.

Plan Ahead, Stay Safe

While the planned outages may inconvenience daily routines, they are part of a broader commitment to improve Johannesburg’s power infrastructure. With outages stretching across Olivedale, Lufhereng, Riverlea, Bramley, Wynberg, and surrounding zones, residents are encouraged to take proactive steps to minimise disruptions.

City Power has expressed its regret for the inconvenience but reaffirmed its commitment to long-term reliability and service improvement for all Johannesburg communities.