Johannesburg’s central business district (CBD) has been without power for three consecutive days after a fire at the Bree substation on Saturday, leaving residents and businesses struggling to cope.
City Power said the fire damaged key underground infrastructure. It said the blaze has been extinguished and teams are waiting for the tunnels to cool down before entering to assess the damage and begin repairs.
The outage has affected several areas including Bree Street, Bank City, Kerk Street, De Villiers Street, Pritchard Street, Jeppe Street, the JCI Building, President Street, the New Stock Exchange and Newtown Junction.
The latest update from City Power shows the service delivery centre is handling 540 open calls, with 432 of them more than 24 hours old.
Lindiwe Mahlangu, a hair salon owner on Rissik Street, told TimesLIVE: “We have had no electricity since Saturday. I had to cancel appointments. Most of us depend on walk-ins. No power means no income.”
‘A nightmare’: Joburg CBD residents, businesses reel from 3-day blackout
Fire at Bree substation leaves area without power
Johannesburg’s central business district (CBD) has been without power for three consecutive days after a fire at the Bree substation on Saturday, leaving residents and businesses struggling to cope.
City Power said the fire damaged key underground infrastructure. It said the blaze has been extinguished and teams are waiting for the tunnels to cool down before entering to assess the damage and begin repairs.
The outage has affected several areas including Bree Street, Bank City, Kerk Street, De Villiers Street, Pritchard Street, Jeppe Street, the JCI Building, President Street, the New Stock Exchange and Newtown Junction.
The latest update from City Power shows the service delivery centre is handling 540 open calls, with 432 of them more than 24 hours old.
Lindiwe Mahlangu, a hair salon owner on Rissik Street, told TimesLIVE: “We have had no electricity since Saturday. I had to cancel appointments. Most of us depend on walk-ins. No power means no income.”
For clothing vendors around the Bree Street area, the blackout has disrupted payment systems and stock management.
“I can’t use my card machine or check my sales. Clothes were supposed to be delivered to clients over the weekend. I’m losing trust and money,” said business owner Tshiamo Moeketsi.
Families are also struggling. Lerato Dube, a mother of a five-month-old baby, described the blackout as "a nightmare".
“My baby uses a bottle warmer and we cannot refrigerate milk or food. We had to throw so much away. I’m worried about my child’s health,” she said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, with suspected illegal mining activity considered.
City Power has urged residents to reduce electricity use where possible, warning the power system remains constrained and further overload could worsen the situation across the city.
TimesLIVE
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