Johannesburg City Power has expressed regret over a second explosion at its Mayfair substation, which plunged parts of the city’s suburbs into darkness.
City Power Spokesperson Isaac Mangena says the cause of the explosion is still not yet known.
The incident has also caused an interruption to water supply.
Affected areas include, the SABC in Auckland Park, Garden City Hospital in Mayfair, as well as businesses and residential areas in Mayfair, Crown, Vrededorp, Brixton, Crosby, Pageview, Homestead Park and Amalgam.
Mangena elaborates, “City power regrets the secondary explosion at Mayfair Substation shortly after teams had begun restoring electricity at around 6PM. The incident knocked out the entire substation, leaving all customers supplied by the station without electricity. The fire department contained the fire and the area had been cordoned off until it is declared safe for City Power teams to basically come in and do the assessment of the damage, determine what is needed to resume the repairs and also investigate the cause of the explosion.”
X | @SABCNews | Johannesburg’s City Power says a blaze at the Mayfair Substation early on Sunday morning, which left thousands of residents, businesses and critical facilities in areas including Mayfair, Auckland Park, Brixton and surrounding areas without electricity, is being assessed. https://t.co/lhPXY6IIb6
— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 9, 2026