While many households across Midrand gather to celebrate Christmas Day, several communities are spending the holiday in darkness, as City Power continues to battle multiple electricity outages and network faults across the region.

The power interruptions come amid Eskom’s ongoing load reduction programme, a temporary measure implemented in high-consumption areas to protect both communities and the national electricity network.

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City Power confirmed that its electricity network within the Midrand Service Delivery Centre (SDC) remains under significant pressure due to multiple faults. Despite the challenges, the entity has assured residents that progress is being made, with electricity supply in Noordwyk already fully restored.

In a statement issued on December 24, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said technical teams were on site at the Commercia switching station, where extensive testing was underway to identify the cause of an outage affecting customers in the Commercia area. “Once the fault has been identified, the necessary restoration work will commence.”
Another outage currently receiving attention is at the Allandale substation, impacting Rabie Ridge exts 1 and 2. According to Mangena, the power interruption was caused by a cable fault. “The team is in the process of arranging the required resources to start repairing the faulty cable.”

Meanwhile, at the Harry Galaun switching station, restoration work has seen approximately 72% of the affected area brought back online. However, three load centres supplying Pretorius Street and Barbara Place remain without power. “These areas will be attended to by the test team once work at the Commercia switching station has been completed.”

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Residents in Klipfontein View were also affected after an outage originating from Eskom’s side. Mangena confirmed that Eskom teams had inspected the line, conducted the necessary tests, and successfully restored power on their network. “We will restore on our end as soon as teams conclude the current work at Commercia.”

At the Church Street switching station in Halfway House, City Power’s test branch team has located the faults and is in the process of arranging resources to begin repairs.

Electricity has been restored to approximately 40% of the affected area, while six load centres will remain without power until repairs are completed.

City Power has once again apologised to residents for the inconvenience caused, particularly during the festive season. “We thank customers for their patience and understanding as restoration efforts continue.”

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