MMC for Environment, Infrastructure and Services, Cllr Jack Sekwaila, wishes to assure residents and businesses affected by the Bree Substation outage that work on site is progressing with speed and urgency to minimise disruption to daily life.
Since access to the substation was granted following safety clearance by structural engineers, Emergency Management Services, and the Department of Labour, City Power teams have been working continuously to stabilise the site, remove damaged infrastructure, and prepare the network for restoration. Mop-up operations are well advanced, including the clearing of rubble and the safe removal of transformer oil to prevent environmental contamination. These processes are critical to ensuring that repairs and restoration can proceed safely and sustainably.
Cllr Sekwaila has commended City Power technical teams for their dedication and resilience under challenging conditions, noting that their work reflects a strong commitment to restoring electricity as quickly as possible. He also extended sincere appreciation to the first responders from Emergency Management Services for their swift response and continued support in containing the incident and securing the site.
He further noted that the successful testing of two standby transformers and related infrastructure on site is a positive development and strengthens efforts to restore electricity to some affected customers sooner than the initially communicated Estimated Time for Restoration, while work on the rest of the infrastructure continues.
The MMC has noted the intended oversight visit by the Democratic Alliance and welcomes it – calling for collaborative efforts from all sectors of society, instead of divisive attempts to take advantage of a serious situation that affects our residents for political point scoring.
Meanwhile, Cllr Sekwaila expressed serious concern that the incident may be linked to another attempted act of cable theft or interference with critical electricity infrastructure. Such criminal activities place lives at risk and cause severe disruption to communities and the local economy, as it has done now.
He has called for increased visibility and coordinated action by the South African Police Service and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department to protect key municipal infrastructure. He also appealed for continued and expanded investment by Council in advanced technologies that can detect, deter, and prevent the theft and vandalism of municipal assets.
The MMC highlighted that sustained investment by Council in the maintenance and refurbishment of electricity infrastructure has already yielded tangible results. Since 2023, this focused approach has contributed to a reduction in substation fires across the city, underscoring the importance of preventative maintenance and long-term infrastructure planning. It’s worth noting that the Bree substation had its scheduled maintenance in November 2025.
Cllr Sekwaila thanked residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation during the outage and reaffirmed Council’s commitment to safeguarding electricity infrastructure, supporting City Power teams, and restoring supply safely and reliably as soon as possible.
Issued by the Office of the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services
Cllr Jack Sekwaila.
