Joburg Faces Delays In Resolving Power Outages As City Power's Fleet Remains Grounded

Johannesburg is grappling with prolonged power outages as City Powers test-branch fleet reportedly remains grounded due to a payment dispute.

The Democratic Alliance DA has raised an alarm about the situation, which reportedly stems from a payment dispute between the City of Johannesburg and Afrirent Fleet Management Company. According to reports, Afrirent claims the city owes it more than R90 million.

With over 500 outages per depot still unresolved, grounding of essential vehicles has critically hampered the ability to restore power to residents across the city, says Ward Councillor Nicole van Dyk , the DAs Johannesburg Shadow MMC for Water, Power and Environment.

Grounding of almost 200 test-branch vehicles has resulted in outages lasting several days, leaving residents in distress, Van Dyk says.

In an appeal to Mayor Dada Morero , the DA has called for clarity on how the city intends to address the escalating outages.

Additional resources have been deployed and technicians and contractors on leave returned to ensure operational teams are fully staffed, added the utility. City Power also assured residents it has a full stock of materials and other resources. On social media platform X, City Power warned that ongoing inclement weather could further hinder its ability to restore power promptly.