22 Johannesburg Suburbs to Face Power Interruption on Saturday, 26 April 2025

If you live in Johannesburg, you might want to plan ahead for a six-hour power cut affecting 22 suburbs this coming Saturday.

City Power has announced that scheduled maintenance will take place on Saturday, 26 April 2025, from 08:00 to 14:00, as part of efforts to improve the stability and performance of the city’s electricity infrastructure.

Why Is the Power Being Cut?

According to City Power, the outage is part of routine maintenance on the electricity network. The work is essential to ensure reliable supply and reduce unplanned outages in the future.

While inconvenient, this type of scheduled interruption helps prevent long-term issues and unexpected blackouts.

Suburbs Affected by the Power Interruption

Here is the full list of affected suburbs and areas expected to be without power during the six-hour window:

• Yeast Pro Number 1 and 2

• Watt Street

• Parson Street

• Bunsen Street South

• Breweries Riverlea

• Riverlea

• Eastern Industria

• Bosmont Maraisburg

• Industria North

• Bunsen Street

• Slovo Crosby Number 1 and 2

• Lowethal Industrial West

• Longdale

• George Scott

• Springbok Street

• Telford Street

• Paarlshop

• Nobel Street

• Slovo Crosby

• Maraisburg Road

• Vega Street Number 1, 2, and 3

• Industria South

Residents and businesses in these areas are advised to treat all electrical points as live during the outage and to unplug sensitive appliances as a precaution.

A Bigger Picture: South Africa’s Electricity Crisis and New Innovations

While Johannesburg faces regular power interruptions due to maintenance or load shedding, South Africa is exploring bold solutions to fix its energy crisis.

Recently, the country launched a traded electricity market, allowing licensed traders to buy and sell power—a move that could disrupt Eskom’s long-standing monopoly. Backed by Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), this new system aims to attract international investment and fast-track renewable energy projects.

“We are also crowding in international players who are very experienced on the technical side of transmission lines and so forth and looking to bolster the capacity that the country has,” said Judy Kobus, RMB’s head of infrastructure sector solutions.

This shift comes after years of load shedding and price hikes, with electricity costs rising more than eightfold between 2008 and 2023, according to BusinessTech. The new market hopes to increase energy security by encouraging investment in both renewables and transmission infrastructure.

Will It Make a Difference?

Many South Africans remain hopeful that traded electricity markets could finally bring stability to the grid and encourage growth in green energy. For now, though, residents must still prepare for short-term outages like the one scheduled for 26 April.

Have your backup power plans ready—and keep an eye on future updates from City Power.

{Source: The South African}

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