Johannesburg’s electricity crisis deepens amid vandalism and overloading
Johannesburg's power grid faces escalating challenges due to vandalism and illegal connections, with City Power warning that outages will worsen during winter if these issues aren't addressed.
City Power is fighting to keep the lights on in Alexandra, despite vandalism and an overloaded grid, and the situation is expected to worsen as winter approaches.
On May 10, the utility was inundated with calls from Lombardy East regarding a power outage in the area. After dispatching operators to investigate, a vandalised transformer was identified as the cause.
Read more: City Power plans to give 5 Alexandra informal settlements formal access to electricity
The following day, City Power confirmed that the transformer was beyond repair and would need to be replaced. A new transformer has been ordered, and the replacement process will commence once it is delivered to the site. Previously, the utility’s general manager in the Department of Public Relations and Communications, Isaac Mangena, reported that losses incurred due to rampant vandalism continue to hamper its ability to deliver services and invest in infrastructure.
“City Power loses an estimated R100m in non-technical causes, which includes cable theft and vandalism, annually. This is effectively money stolen from the city and its paying customers, hindering service delivery and infrastructure investment.”
Also read: City Power timelines for addressing power issues
On May 6, the utility reported responding to a high volume of outage calls across Alexandra. It reported that the outages stemmed from severe overloading of the electricity network, resulting in multiple cable faults. Mangena noted the situation is exacerbated by illegal connections, particularly in townships like Alexandra and informal settlements, which continue to rise at an alarming rate.
“As of last count, there were over 300 informal settlements within the City of Johannesburg, and this figure has likely grown in recent months. The rapid expansion of these settlements, coupled with delays in formal housing provision, has forced many residents to resort to unauthorised, and often hazardous, methods of accessing electricity.” He warned that illegal connections place immense strain on the grid, leading to system overloads and infrastructure deterioration. If left unaddressed, these issues will result in more frequent and prolonged outages, particularly during winter when electricity demand surges.
City Power urges residents to use electricity sparingly, especially during peak hours, and to switch off non-essential appliances. Additionally, the utility has emphasised the importance of community involvement in tackling overloading issues, calling on residents to report illegal connections and meter tampering, which are among the primary contributors to the ongoing crisis.
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