Explosion at central substation leaves parts of Joburg in the dark

City Power customers in parts of Johannesburg are without electricity following another explosion at the utility’s Central Substation last night.

Affected areas include Marshalltown, parts of the Johannesburg CBD, Wemmer and Selby, as well as sections of Albert, Eloff, Commissioner and Anderson streets.

City Power has revised its estimated date for the full restoration of power in Johannesburg’s CBD to Thursday, subject to outstanding repairs, testing and safety checks https://t.co/1IcdD7egv5 https://t.co/tRzmXSItNc — SABC News (@SABCNews) October 6, 2026 City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena says the explosion occurred as technical teams were attempting to restore electricity supply through the newly installed feeder board.

He says the cause of the explosion and extent of the damage have yet to be established.

Mangena says, “This incident is a further setback to the restoration work underway at the substation.

City Power can no longer confirm the earlier target of restoring supply to most affected areas by midday Thursday, 15 October 2026.

A revised restoration estimate will depend on the site being declared safe, an assessment of the damage and the repairs required.”