16-hour planned power outage in Jozi signals growing electricity woes
Johannesburg's electricity woes are ongoing as Eskom announced a 16-hour power outage affecting residents in parts of the city on Friday, 12 June. Andrew Middleton, the CEO of GoSolr, says that instances like these indicate a larger energy insecurity issue in South Africa. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) calls for clarity on the agreement reached between the power utility and the municipality.
Image credit: Vije Vijendranath on Unsplash
The affected areas include Hebron, Itsoseng, Libanon, Mabopane, and Morula View.
Shifting unreliablity
The utility has confirmed that the outage, scheduled from 7am to 11pm, is due to planned maintenance on its distribution network and is not related to loadshedding or an emergency fault.
However, Middleton says it is a timely reminder that South Africa’s energy challenges have not disappeared.
“The absence of rotational loadshedding does not equate to a resilient or reliable power system,” he says.
"A 16-hour outage is a full-day disruption that impacts everything from households and small businesses to security systems, water supply, and connectivity.
"It highlights the extent to which many South Africans remain exposed to a grid that is still under strain — not only from ageing generation capacity, but also from maintenance requirements and constraints in the distribution network," remarks Middleton.
He believes the reality is that energy insecurity in South Africa has shifted, with planned outages, infrastructure limitations, and rising tariffs.
While this outage is unrelated to the debt between Eskom, City Power and the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) says that it's not so sure that's been resolved.
Agreement reached?
The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, previously stated that an agreement had been reached between the entities to keep the lights on in SA's economic hub.
But OUTA is sceptical.
Advocate Stefanie Fick, executive director of the accountability division at OUTA, says, “Whilst the public engagement process continues, we believe that this may require legal intervention to ensure residents and business interests are protected and that the customers of CoJ don’t become collateral damage.”
OUTA says it has asked Eskom to publicly clarify the status of negotiations with the CoJ, inform stakeholders that the notice of intention to cut electricity extends the public comment deadline by 30 days, and share the agreement reached between Eskom and the CoJ.
“Cutting electricity to CoJ poses a significant public interest. The people and business should be granted sufficient opportunity to exercise their rights, and such a process must be fair and reasonable,” Julius Kleynhans, executive manager at OUTA, said.
The organisation is calling on Johannesburg residents, businesses, and civil society organisations to submit their views on Eskom’s intent to cut the power before the deadline of 17 June 2026.
Those interested in making submissions can send them to:
Anna Tsukudu
Key Accounts Manager for Customer Services
Email: az.oc.mokse@snoissimbuspc
Reference number: CoJ/CP
The closing date for submissions is 17 June 2026.