Government

Johannesburg power outages today (28 October 2026): affected areas, causes and when power returns

City Power reports outages in Observatory, Bez Valley, Bruma, Crown, Kew, Bramley, Northriding and Weltevredenpark on 28 October 2026, mostly cable faults, with no restoration times yet. Here is what City Power says.

By Reported Team · Updated

Electricity pylons and power lines in South Africa
Photo: Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Update (09:35 SAST, 29 October 2026): City Power says power is back in Kensington, Bruma, Cyrildene, Observatory, Bez Valley, De Wetshof, Fairview, Northriding AH and part of Sundowner. Other outages carried into Thursday, and new ones hit Marshalltown, Sydenham and Linksfield. Follow today's updates in Johannesburg power outages today (29 October 2026).

Several parts of Johannesburg are without electricity on Wednesday, 28 October 2026. City Power says a new outage hit Kensington, Bruma, Cyrildene, Observatory, Bez Valley, De Wetshof and Fairview this morning (City Power, 28 Oct), and parts of Wynberg, Kew, Bramley Park and Bramley North have been off since 18 October with no restoration time yet (City Power, 28 Oct). These are faults, not load shedding.

Which Johannesburg areas have no power today?

  • Kensington, Bruma, Cyrildene, Observatory, Bez Valley, De Wetshof and Fairview (Observatory Substation): outage reported this morning. Operators have been sent to find the cause (City Power, 28 Oct, 12:06).
  • Amalgam, Crown and Langlaagte (Mayfair Substation, Crown distributor): a double cable fault. No restoration time yet (City Power, 28 Oct, 12:15).
  • Wynberg, Kew and parts of Bramley Park and Bramley North (Gresswold Substation): off since 18 October. One fault is fixed and a second is being investigated. No restoration time yet (City Power, 28 Oct).
  • Minerva Avenue and Beryl Road (Gresswold Substation): off since 17 October after equipment was vandalised. City Power says about 98% of supply is back and repairs continue (City Power, 28 Oct).
  • Northriding AH, Honeydew Police Station and part of Sundowner (Northriding Substation): off since about 23:15 on 27 October because of a cable fault (City Power, 28 Oct).
  • Weltevredenpark, Floracliffe and Constantia Kloof (Christiaan De Wet Substation): a cable fault. A team is on site to isolate it (City Power, 28 Oct).
  • Soccer City: City Power says it is aware of an outage and operators will investigate (City Power, 28 Oct).

Separately, City Power's planned maintenance today switches off parts of the Lenasia area, including Slovo Park, Klipspruit West, Bushkoppies Estate, parts of Eldorado Park and Freedom Park, from 8am to 4pm (Reported, citing City Power).

Why is the power off?

City Power blames cable faults in Northriding, Mayfair and Weltevredenpark, and vandalised equipment on the Gresswold network (City Power). It has not yet given a cause for the Observatory outage (City Power).

It is not load shedding. Eskom said on 23 October that South Africa had gone 525 days without load shedding (Eskom).

When will power be restored?

City Power has not given restoration times for any of these outages. It says affected customers will be updated as work progresses (City Power).

When power returns, City Power asks customers to wait 15 to 30 minutes before switching appliances back on, then reconnect them gradually so the network is not overloaded and does not trip again (City Power).

How do I report an outage to City Power?

  • Log a call on citypower.mobi
  • Call 011 490 7484 or 0800 202 925
  • To follow up on a call you already logged, dial 0800 003 156 (06:00 to 18:00 daily)

(City Power)

City Power posts updates on X (@CityPowerJhb) and on its WhatsApp channels for each service delivery centre.

FAQ

Which Johannesburg areas have no power on 28 October 2026?

City Power lists outages in Kensington, Bruma, Cyrildene, Observatory, Bez Valley, De Wetshof, Fairview, Amalgam, Crown, Langlaagte, Wynberg, Kew, parts of Bramley Park and Bramley North, Northriding AH, part of Sundowner, Weltevredenpark, Floracliffe, Constantia Kloof and Soccer City.

Is this load shedding?

No. City Power says the outages are caused by cable faults and vandalised equipment. Eskom said on 23 October that South Africa had gone 525 days without load shedding.

How do I report a power outage in Johannesburg?

Log a call on citypower.mobi or call City Power on 011 490 7484 or 0800 202 925. To follow up on a logged call, dial 0800 003 156 between 06:00 and 18:00.

Sources