Fire at Cydna substation cuts power to parts of Sandton, Johannesburg
EIR-0434Provisional entry. Published from first reports and rechecked automatically as more sources appear. No further update is scheduled; the entry stays provisional until new information is published.
A fire broke out at the Cydna substation operated by City Power, cutting electricity supply to parts of Sandton and surrounding areas including Melrose, Illovo and Houghton in Johannesburg. The utility said the fire was preliminarily believed to have been caused by an attempted theft of copper cables at the substation. Repair crews worked over several days to restore supply, with City Power targeting restoration by Sunday evening, days after the fire started on the preceding Thursday. Police and law enforcement were informed of the suspected theft and vandalism, and an investigation was launched to identify those responsible. The outage affected residents and businesses in the affected suburbs for multiple days while repairs were carried out.
City Power stated the fire was preliminarily attributed to attempted theft of copper cables at the substation, described by the utility as vandalism and theft.
- Substations remain vulnerable to cable theft and vandalism, which can trigger fires and prolonged outages affecting large residential and commercial areas.
- Utilities should assess and reinforce physical security measures such as fencing, surveillance and rapid alert systems at unstaffed substations.
- Clear public communication on repair timelines helps manage community expectations during multi-day outages caused by criminal damage.
Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.