City Power says it will cost R24 million to fully restore power to essential businesses, and a large number of households in parts of Johannesburg after a second explosion a few days ago at its Mayfair substation last weekend.

The utility says in the worst-case scenario, it would take up to 14 days to restore power to all affected areas.

Parts of Mayfair, Auckland Park, Crown Mines and Vrededorp remain without power.

City Power has confirmed that their investigation has revealed that the first explosion was as result of cable theft.

Group Head of Operations in the Southern region, Noel Maso, has pleaded with communities to report vandalism and theft.

Maso says, “We want to say to the community that; we understand the situation and please be vigilant out there and help us guard against the scourge of vandalism which ultimately has cause the situation we are in right now.”

“Currently, the cost of restoration and replacement are standing at R24.8 million as it stands, and which is an unfortunate amount that we did not budget for, so obviously there is going to an impact on some of the planned activities we had and we are hoping that those impacts will be minimum,” adds Maso.

Repeated Mayfair blackouts caused by theft and vandalism: City Power

Moreover, City Power says it has identified a fault at its Crown Substation, which is interrupting supply to areas including Mayfair, Crown Mines, Amalgam and surrounding communities.

Maso further says the Sentech Tower in Brixton has also been affected by the interruption.

Maso adds that City Power technicians are working around the clock to resolve the fault, with normal supply set to be restored by Sunday.

Since last Sunday, suburbs including Mayfair, Brixton, Crosby and Auckland Park have been experiencing lengthy power cuts, with critical services including the national broadcaster SABC, Sentech and Garden City Hospital badly affected.