Fleurhof power outage: When will electricity return after City Power substation was set alight?

Residents in Fleurhof, Roodepoort have been left in the dark after a City Power substation was vandalised by alleged arsonists on Saturday morning.

The utility said two people set a mini substation alight at about 2:15am on Saturday, according to its preliminary security report.

It could not say when electricity would return to the affected areas in Fleurhof, but committed to updating residents as the situation develops.

“The extent of the damage from the latest Fleurhof attack and the full impact on electricity supply are still being established,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

Which areas lost power?

According to Mangena, the attack left Extension 9, Emnandini Heights, Legacy Hill, and parts of Fleurhof Lifestyle Estate without power.

The utility said it was still establishing the full impact on customers.

“We cannot confirm a restoration time for the affected area,” Mangena said.

Technicians would first inspect the damage, he said, because “Our teams will assess whether the mini substation needs replacing.”

He added that securing and delivering a new unit could stretch out the outage.

What happened at the substation?

City Power said the intruders entered the site unlawfully and started the fire.

Security personnel spotted them and called for backup.

According to Mangena, the South African Police Services (Saps) responded and arranged for Emergency Management Services to put out the flames.

Acting CEO Charles Tlouane condemned the attack.

“We condemn this barbaric act. Deliberately setting a mini substation alight destroys an essential service and leaves communities to suffer the consequences,” he said.

“We regard the deliberate destruction of essential public infrastructure as a crime against the state and its people,” Tlouane added.

Petrol purchase and appeal for information

Security personnel were told that a man bought about R70 worth of petrol at a nearby Shell garage around midnight and walked towards the site.

Mangena said City Power believed the purchase was linked to the attack.

“Police must investigate whether this is linked to the attack, which we believe is the case,” he said.

He urged the public to come forward, saying, “We appeal to anyone with information or CCTV footage that could help identify these criminals to contact SAPS or even City Power security.”

People can call 011 490 7900 or send an anonymous WhatsApp message to 083 579 4497.

Repeated attacks across Roodepoort

According to City Power, vandals damaged approximately 16 mini substations in Roodepoort between January and June 2026.

Each unit costs between R700 000 and R800 000 to replace, excluding labour and restoration costs.

“The replacement value of those 16 units alone amounted to between R11.2 million and R12.8 million, before additional restoration expenses and subsequent attacks,” the utility revealed.

Police arrested two suspects on 17 August after an attack on the Reyger Switching Station in Witpoortjie.

Tlouane said the latest incident added weight to earlier warnings.

“We have repeatedly warned about suspected sabotage in Roodepoort, and this latest attack strengthens our call for urgent police intervention,” he said.

He also called on the police to step up their response.

“Saps must heighten intelligence gathering, speed up arrests and investigate the links between these attacks to establish who is organising, financing and carrying them out,” Tlouane said.