It appears that City Power is indirectly responsible for the still shocking state of Jan Smuts and Rothesay avenues in Craighall.

The Rosebank Killarney Gazette first reported about a leak on the Craighall roads on December 23.

At the time Rothesay Avenue was completely blocked off, due to the excavation carried out by Johannesburg Water which ran across the street. A reporter visited the site on January 9 and was met with a leaking drain, the excavation, and a poorly reinstated road that forced motorists to slow down before turning into it to avoid tyre damage.

Ward 90 councillor Renate van Onselen said, on January 2, that, “according to the Johannesburg regional manager, the excavations were due to a leak detection on Rothesay Avenue.”

Read more: Johannesburg Water requests Craighall power interruption to fix leak

She continued to say that where the leak was pin-pointed, there are City Power cables. “City Power was requested to isolate their cables in order for the team to repair the leak.”

Van Onselen added that the regional manager noted that City Power indicated to the foreman that they would need to issue a customer notice for isolation, as the affected line is supplying electricity in the area.

The publication sent follow up questions to Johannesburg Water, but had not received response by the expected date of December 29, 2025. We will also be sending follow up questions to City Power about when the isolation will take place, so Johannesburg Water can do their job.

The article will be updated accordingly once the water and electricity utilities respond.

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