An eight-hour planned power outage will hit one of Johannesburg’s busiest business and education hubs this week, with City Power confirming that Braamfontein will be without electricity on Wednesday as part of scheduled network maintenance.
City Power said the planned interruption at the Braamfontein Substation is scheduled for Wednesday, 28 January 2026, from 8am to 4pm, directly affecting major institutions and commercial areas.
The outage will impact:
- Wits University
- Newtown Mall
“Customers are hereby notified of a planned power interruption at Braamfontein Substation, which is scheduled for Wednesday, 28 January 2026,” City Power said in a notice issued on 8 January.
The utility said the interruption is required to carry out essential maintenance on its electricity network.
“The interruption is necessary to do essential maintenance work on our network, which is part of our program of constantly striving to provide a better service,” City Power said.
The outage may disrupt business operations, retail activity and academic studies in the area, particularly at and near Wits University, which remains one of the country’s largest tertiary institutions.
The university itself has backup power for most of its key areas and lecture halls, but parts of the campus and residences may be affected.
Here are the other affected areas this week
City Power confirmed that several other Johannesburg suburbs will also experience planned outages this week as maintenance continues across multiple substations and switching stations.
A planned interruption at Wemmer Substation will take place on Wednesday, 28 January, from 8am to 4pm, affecting:
- Robertsham
City Power said the work forms part of routine network upkeep.
Another planned outage is scheduled at the President Square Switching Station, affecting:
- Roodepoort West
- Roodepoort CBD
- Dobsonville
Maintenance at this station will also take place on Wednesday, 28 January, from 8am to 4pm.
At Spokeshave Switching Station, essential maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, 29 January, from 8am to 4pm, affecting customers in the Spokeshave area.
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Friday outage for the southern Joburg area
City Power also announced planned maintenance at Goldev Switching Station on Friday, 30 January, from 8am to 4pm, affecting:
- Freedom Park and surrounding areas
Meanwhile, customers in Randpark Ridge and Randpark Ridge Mall will experience a planned outage at Telkor Switching Station on Wednesday, 28 January, from 9am to 5pm.
Safety warning and contact details
City Power warned residents that the electricity supply may be restored at any time.
“As the supply may be restored at any time, customers are urged to always treat their electricity supply points as live,” the utility said.
Customers were also advised to unplug appliances during outages to prevent damage caused by inrush current when power is restored.
City Power confirmed that load shedding remains suspended until further notice.
Residents seeking more information can contact City Power’s call centre on 011 490 7484 or the toll-free number 0800 202 925.
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