Calls are growing for City Power to review how it provides emergency generator support after repeated electricity outages left elderly and vulnerable residents without power for extended periods in Ward 81.

Calls for a policy review

Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz said retirement villages and vulnerable households have experienced recurring outages that have disrupted daily life and raised concerns about the health and safety of residents who rely on electricity for essential needs. Horwitz has called on the utility to reconsider how it assesses generator requests, arguing that repeated outages affecting the same community should be viewed as one prolonged incident rather than separate events. “The issue goes far beyond inconvenience. Electricity is essential for people to cook meals, heat water for bathing, keep warm during winter, refrigerate food and medication, and maintain a basic standard of living. For many elderly residents and vulnerable households, prolonged outages can quickly become a health and safety concern.” She said she would continue engaging City Power to request emergency generator assistance wherever possible, despite acknowledging that such requests are rarely approved because of limited resources.

Health and safety concerns

According to Horwitz, residents have been told generator deployment is generally influenced by how long an outage lasts and whether a suitable generator is available. She said repeated outages over several days are often treated as separate incidents, making it difficult for communities experiencing recurring interruptions to qualify for emergency support. She also pointed to another challenge facing retirement villages and other large residential facilities. “The physical size and electricity demand of these communities are significant considerations. City Power’s mobile generators are simply not designed to carry that level of load, meaning that even where a generator is available, it may be unsuitable for providing even the minimum level of power required.”

Read more: Councillor raises concerns over outages as City Power defends restoration strategy

Proposal to change the approach:

Horwitz believes this demonstrates the need for a broader emergency response strategy for communities with large numbers of elderly residents during prolonged outages. She has committed to submitting a motion before the City of Johannesburg council calling for a review of the utility’s approach so that repeated outages affecting the same area can be considered collectively when requests for emergency generators are assessed.

City Power explains generator deployment

In response to questions, City Power said the decision to deploy a generator is more complex than simply considering the length of an outage. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said operational teams at the utility’s service delivery centres determine whether a generator is required based on the specific circumstances of each incident. “The decision to deploy a generator is informed by several operational considerations, including the nature and scale of the outage, the electricity demand of the affected area, the capacity required and the availability of an appropriate generator.” He added that once operational teams determine a generator is necessary, a formal request is submitted to the Fleet and Transportation division, which then deploys a suitable generator if one is available.

Planned and unplanned outages:

Mangena said planned and unplanned outages are handled differently because they arise from different operational circumstances. Planned outages are scheduled to allow maintenance, equipment replacement, and network upgrades to improve the reliability of the electricity system. Unplanned outages, however, require individual technical assessments because they can result from equipment failures, cable faults, theft, vandalism, or other unforeseen incidents. He added that technical teams may need to inspect kilometres of underground cable, excavate roads and obtain approvals from other municipal entities before repairs can begin, meaning restoration times can vary considerably depending on the complexity of the fault. City Power also rejected the suggestion that repeated outages are simply ignored, explaining that multiple reports relating to the same fault are grouped under one reference number to prevent duplicate fault tickets and allow technicians to focus on restoring supply as efficiently as possible.

Also read: Bryanston streetlight outages expose wider challenge for City Power 

Limited generators available

Mangena confirmed that City Power currently has 11 active mobile diesel generators of varying capacities available for emergency deployment across Johannesburg. However, he said these generators are primarily intended to support smaller, localised outages while repairs are being carried out. “Mobile generators are generally intended to support smaller, localised outages where their capacity is sufficient to maintain supply while repairs are undertaken.” Where larger areas, retirement villages, or high-demand customers are affected, he said, a mobile generator often does not have enough capacity to safely supply the entire community. “In such cases, operational teams prioritise restoring the network as quickly and safely as possible rather than relying on temporary generation.”

Focus on long-term infrastructure

Mangena said City Power does not have a standalone public generator deployment policy. Instead, the utility follows an internal standard operating procedure that governs how generators are requested, assessed, and dispatched. “City Power continuously reviews its operational procedures to improve service delivery and strengthen its emergency response where necessary. However, the long-term solution to recurring outages lies in ongoing investment in network maintenance, infrastructure refurbishment and system upgrades to improve grid reliability and reduce the frequency of supply interruptions.” The utility also noted that cable theft, vandalism and damage to electricity infrastructure continue to delay repairs and place additional pressure on technical and financial resources, reinforcing the need for continued investment in protecting and modernising Johannesburg’s electricity network.

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