Power restored to most areas affected by blackout after Braamfontein tunnel fire - City Power

JOHANNESBURG - Johannesburg City Power says it has managed to restore most of the power to residents affected by a major blackout caused by an underground tunnel fire in Braamfontein. 

The blaze started on Thursday morning under the M1 double-decker highway, causing a widespread power outage. 

City Power said the fire was caused by cable thieves. 

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• Preliminary investigations indicate cable theft, vandalism may have caused M1 fire - City Power
• City Power to begin assessments of tunnels damaged by underground fire in Braamfontein

The power supplier said there had been an increase in acts of vandalism on their networks in the inner city

City Power spokesperson Isaacs Mangena implored residents to use electricity sparingly to avoid overloading their on networks.

"The failure to basically exercise this caution will basically result in the power tripping often because of the overloading that would happen on the network. The network has been stretched to the maximum limit to accommodate as many customers as possible.

"We now appeal to the customers to play their part in ensuring that they keep the consumption level low by switching off some of the power guzzlers, including the geysers, the pool pumps and also other appliances, especially during the peak hours of morning and in the evening.”