Large parts of Alberton have endured one of the longest electricity outages in recent years after a severely burnt substation left parts of the town without power from Tuesday.

The city has now confirmed that the estimated restoration time for the affected areas is Saturday, January 24.

The prolonged outage was caused by extensive damage at a key substation, where cables, transformers, and other critical electrical components were severely damaged.

The destruction has significantly complicated repair efforts, forcing technicians to replace major infrastructure rather than carry out simple fixes.

According to councillor Samantha Nair, technical teams have been working around the clock to assess the damage and rebuild the substation’s core systems.

The utility said the scale of the destruction meant repairs required specialised equipment, replacement transformers, and new cabling, all of which had to be sourced and installed under strict safety conditions.

“This was not a minor fault. The substation was terribly burnt, and several vital components were destroyed. Cables, transformers, and associated equipment suffered severe damage, and teams have been working nonstop to restore the supply. The current estimated time of restoration is tomorrow, subject to no further technical setbacks.”

She said that they receive updates every four hours.

Residents have been plunged into days of disruption, left without lights, means of refrigerating food, internet connectivity, and reliable communication.

Small businesses report mounting financial losses.

Municipal officials confirmed they are in constant communication with technicians and are closely monitoring the restoration process.