The SABC says programming on its television channels and radio stations has been restored after a power outage that began on Sunday disrupted some of its broadcasts. But electricity has not been fully restored in Auckland Park, and the broadcaster is still running on backup power.
The outage followed a fire at City Power’s Mayfair substation early on Sunday morning, 8 November. A second explosion followed shortly after 6pm on Monday, as technicians were restoring supply. It knocked out the whole substation, City Power said, and cut power to customers who had not been affected by the first incident.
In a statement on Wednesday, the SABC said it had been running on generators since Sunday, and that relying on them for so long had “impacted the corporation’s ability to maintain normal transmission operations across certain platforms and services”. It did not say which channels or stations had been affected, or for how long.
In an update later on Wednesday, the broadcaster said programming had been restored, but that it was still operating on “contingency power”.
The cause of the explosion remains unknown and will be determined through a thorough investigation.
City Power
City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena told SABC News on Wednesday morning that repairs were “at an advanced stage” and that the utility expected some areas, including the SABC, “to be returned to service later this afternoon”. On Tuesday, City Power had said it couldn’t give a restoration time until its technicians had assessed the damage.
The cause of the explosion “remains unknown and will be determined through a thorough investigation”, City Power said. It is also looking at supplying affected areas through its Hursthill substation while repairs continue.
The outage has also hit Garden City Hospital in Mayfair, as well as homes and businesses in Mayfair, Crown, Vrededorp, Brixton, Crosby, Pageview, Homestead Park and Amalgam, IOL reported, citing City Power. Water supply in the area has also been affected. — (c) 2026 NewsCentral Media
