-DA calls for an investigation into possible negligence, substandard workmanship, and collusion between contractors and officials.
-City Power has also provided inconsistent information about reported outages, while residents remain without clear restoration timelines.
-The City must stop treating these outages as isolated incidents and address their underlying causes.
The DA in Johannesburg calls on the City of Johannesburg to urgently investigate persistent electricity outages affecting Bramley, Bramley Park, Raumarais Park and surrounding areas.
Despite repeated repairs at the Gresswold Substation, faults keep recurring, leaving residents without reliable electricity. We are calling for an investigation into possible negligence, substandard workmanship and collusion between contractors and officials.
City Power has also provided inconsistent information about reported outages, while residents remain without clear restoration timelines.
We have previously submitted Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) requests to City Power, but the utility has not responded. This lack of transparency appears to extend beyond Bramley and may be affecting communities across Johannesburg.
For this reason, we will write to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to request that it consider seeking a proclamation to investigate City Power, including its handling of infrastructure failures, procurement processes, contractor performance, and compliance with transparency obligations.
These outages threaten public safety, medical care, businesses, and livelihoods. Residents who rely on medical equipment have been forced to seek hospital care, while businesses face lost income and possible closure.
We demand that the City:
- Investigate recurring repair failures and contractor performance.
- Examine possible negligence, substandard work, or collusion.
- Provide accurate outage records and details of corrective work.
- Respond fully and lawfully to outstanding PAIA requests.
- Conduct independent quality checks before repairs are approved.
- Give residents credible restoration timelines and regular updates.
- Protect vulnerable residents and affected businesses.
Should the DA govern, we will ramp up purchases from independent power producers (such as expanding renewable independent power to 700MW in Cape Town) to lower costs and reduce total dependence on Eskom.
Reliable electricity will drive economic growth and generate job opportunities for residents.
The City must stop treating these outages as isolated incidents and address their underlying causes. Residents across Johannesburg deserve reliable electricity, transparency and accountability.