Residents of Jasper Hill and Longview are once again facing power outages, just days after enduring a five-day electricity disruption, leaving many frustrated and demanding urgent action from City Power.

The residents suspect the mini substation next to the complex is part of the problem.

Jasper Hill trustee and resident, Portia Ngwepe, said they experience these power outages yearly, and City Power is not providing a permanent solution.

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“You know, the sad part about these is that once they [outages] hit us, it’s not like it’s a one-day thing where we will experience power outages for a day and then it comes back; instead it’s like a 5-day or a week’s thing,” added Ngwepe.

Residents have continuously escalated the matter to ward councillor Annette Deppe, who has strongly criticised City Power for what she describes as poor management and inadequate communication regarding the recurring outages.

According to Deppe, residents in Longview logged the latest outage to City Power, while residents in Jasper also reported being without electricity, and all City Power does is close the tickets without restoring the power.

Deppe raised concerns over the handling of the faults, saying a fault was initially logged and later closed, only for another fault to be logged shortly afterwards.

“This points to poor fault management, poor communication, and a failure by City Power to properly resolve the underlying problem,” said Deppe.

“City Power cannot continue to treat residents as if they must simply accept ongoing outages, vague updates, and repeated failures. These are paying residents who deserve a reliable electricity supply and proper service delivery,” she added.

The repeated outages have placed significant strain on residents, especially after many households reportedly suffered financial losses during last week’s outage due to spoiled food.

“Just last week, we had to throw away food because it was spoiled, and we bought some when this week started, there’s no power again. What must we do now when it seems like we are always going to experience living without electricity nonstop? asked Ngwepe.

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With winter temperatures remaining low, Deppe emphasised that the outages are causing additional hardship for families.

“Residents cannot afford to suffer the same financial losses again, especially during this very cold weather. Electricity is not a luxury; it is an essential service,” said Deppe.

Deppe has called on City Power to urgently escalate the matter by deploying technical teams, identifying the root cause of the repeated outages, and providing residents with clear communication regarding restoration timelines.

“The residents of Jasper and Longview cannot continue living under these conditions. City Power must get this right and restore electricity as a matter of urgency,” she concluded.

The Midrand Reporter contacted City Power for comment on July 2 , the entity responded on July 3.

Spokesperson Isaac Mangena explained that the faults compromised the reliability of the network, leading to extended outages while technical teams worked to isolate and repair damaged sections.
Although electricity has since been restored, City Power confirmed that investigations and permanent repairs are continuing to prevent similar outages in future.

Mangena clarified that the interruptions were linked to two separate outages that occurred close together. “Unfortunately, the affected area was initially linked to the incorrect outage reference. One of the outages was successfully resolved and subsequently marked as restored, while the second outage, which affected Jasper and Longview, remained unresolved due to an unrelated cable fault.”

Further investigations revealed multiple faults at different points along the circuit, including a major fault beneath a tarred road. “Technical teams are currently working to restore both electricity cables supplying the circuit so that the network can return to its normal operating configuration. However, repair work on the damaged cable beneath the tarred road has been delayed because excavation cannot begin until the Johannesburg Roads Agency approves opening the road surface.”

Mangena said permanent repairs will be undertaken once approval is granted. “City Power will undertake permanent repairs to the damaged cable located beneath the tarred road to restore the circuit’s full capacity and network resilience. Once both cables are fully operational, the electrical load will be shared across the network as originally designed.”

*In a previous version of this article, it was stated that City Power had not responded by the time of the publishing deadline (July 3); they had, in fact, responded. The Midrand Reporter apologises for this error.

Read the full update here: City Power restores Jasper Hill and Longview electricity

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