Residents struggle as repair teams work to reconnect Bree substation
Sections of Johannesburg’s inner city — notably Newtown and Hillbrow — remained in the dark on Wednesday for an 11th consecutive day after an underground cable fire damaged infrastructure feeding the Bree substation, City Power said.
Isaac Mangena, a City Power spokesperson, told TimesLIVE the incident was first reported on 23 August. While supply has been restored to customers supplied via the Reuven and Hursthill centres, a major outage persists at Bree.
“The required replacement high-voltage cable and other materials have been delivered to the site. Technicians have completed the layering of the cables and started the jointing process,” said Mangena.
Repair work is being carried out in phases because each high-voltage cable must be tested and commissioned before being declared safe, City Power said. The utility also said specialised technical teams were brought in after assessing the extent of the damage.
- Initial report: 23 August — underground cable fire.
- Partial restores: Customers on Reuven and Hursthill centres reconnected.
- Outstanding: Bree substation still without full supply as teams complete jointing and testing.
City Power said crews are working to reinstate the Fordsburg–Braam feeder, which is required to restore the fourth feeder that supplies Bree. The utility initially scheduled the repair work to take about eight days and gave an estimated restoration date of 3 September, but cautioned that this was not a guaranteed deadline and that the final timing depended on the outcome of ongoing technical work and testing.
For residents surviving without electricity, the outage has immediate practical and financial impacts. Lesedi Motau, a University of Johannesburg student who lives on a strict budget, told TimesLIVE she had to discard food that spoiled. She described spending long periods at campus to study and to charge essential devices.
“I charge my phone, my camp light, my power bank and my laptop at campus to survive the darkness,” Motau said.
Community services and small businesses in the affected precincts are likely to feel strain while the substation remains offline. Prolonged outages in dense urban precincts also raise concerns about safety, refrigeration for food and medicines, and the functioning of lifts and water pumps in high-rise blocks. City Power has not published a confirmed time for full restoration to Bree, reiterating that the situation remains dependent on tests after each section of cable is joined and commissioned.
What City Power has done and what remains
| Action | Status |
|---|---|
| Assessment of damage | Completed |
| Delivery of replacement high-voltage cable and materials | Delivered |
| Layering and jointing of cables | Under way |
| Reinstatement of Fordsburg–Braam feeder | Work in progress |
City Power’s public statements indicate technicians are prioritising safety and staged commissioning. That approach reduces the risk of further faults but also means some customers must wait longer for power to return. The utility has not outlined specific support measures for households or businesses affected by the outage, nor given a timetable for targeted assistance.
For residents, the next 24 to 48 hours will be critical as testing concludes and decisions are made about switching feeders back into service. City Power’s reminder that the estimated restoration date is not guaranteed underscores the uncertainty many people in the city centre continue to face.
Local ratepayers and commuters should monitor City Power social channels and local media for updates. Those who rely on refrigeration for medication or who have medical devices dependent on mains supply should seek alternatives and check with health providers and community centres for assistance while the substation remains offline.
As teams continue to work at the Bree site, the city will be watching to see whether the staged approach succeeds in returning a reliable supply without further setbacks.
