South Africa: Power outages likely to continue in Johannesburg in coming days as of May 2 following fire /update 1

Prolonged power outages are likely in central Johannesburg following a cable fire on May 1. The City Power utility is working on repairing the damaged cables but has warned customers that restoration efforts require high levels of caution, hence the delay. Reports suggest the fire broke out early May 1 at a section of the Fordsburg Substation, leading to the closure of the nearby M1; authorities suspect vandalism to be the cause. The outages are reportedly affecting Mayfair, Pageview, Parktown, Parktown West, Vrededorp, and Vredepark.

Temporary commercial disruptions, traffic disruptions, and longer driving times are likely to result from malfunctioning traffic signals and overhead street lighting. Power outages could also result in the temporary unavailability of essential services such as ATMs and filling stations. There is an increased security threat during power outages. Blackouts could adversely affect security protocols, including alarm systems and electronic fences; opportunistic criminal activity could increase during electricity outages.