City Power warned customers to prepare for possible electricity supply disruptions after the South African Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm alert for Johannesburg on December 17.

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The utility said storms are likely to increase the number of power outages and delay restoration times due to difficult and unsafe working conditions.

The warning follows weeks of sustained heavy rainfall that already placed pressure on City Power’s network and operational capacity.

Isaac Mangena, general manager
for City Power’s Department of Public Relations and Communication, said outage reports exceeded 3 000 calls per day on average during last week’s heavy rains.

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“Many incidents became prolonged because technicians were unable to reach affected areas due to flooded roads, restricted access and hazardous conditions.”

Mangena said severe weather disrupts operations in several ways.

“Flooded and damaged roads, including closures by the Johannesburg Roads Agency, often prevent teams from accessing sites. In some areas, fallen trees and debris must first be cleared by City Parks before repairs can begin,” said Mangena.

Storms also damage overhead power lines, while excess moisture causes underground cable faults that are more complex and time consuming to locate and fix.

“Waterlogged trenches further delay work, as technicians cannot safely excavate in saturated ground.

“For safety reasons, teams do not operate in areas with flooding, exposed cables or unstable ground due to the risk of electrical flashovers and injury.”

Residents are urged to exercise caution, unplug appliances where possible and be aware that electricity supply may be restored without prior notice.