Parts of Joburg in the dark on Christmas day following substation fire

Parts of Johannesburg were in the dark on Christmas day, even though Eskom had earlier announced there would be no load shedding for SA on Christmas or the Day of Goodwill (commonly known as Boxing Day0. 

City Power's Isaac Mangena said the fire on 88/11KV transformer started on Tuesday night plunging several suburbs east of Joburg city into darkness. 

Areas in darkness include: 

* Kensington 

* Jeppestown 

* Malvern 

* Heriotdale 

* Denver 

* Benrose 

ALSO READ: City Power suspends maintenance due to load shedding

Mangena said the fire was put out early on Christmas morning, after which mop-up operations began. 

"We estimate that repairs will only be completed by Thursday 26th December, with power expected to be restored by 19h00 should everything go according to plan," he said. 

City Power teams of investigators and technicians were assessing the extent of the damage caused to the infrastructure, and what caused the fire. 

This investigation will also look at the cost of repairs and replacement to the damaged equipment, especially the transformer which was almost completely razed to the ground and may need a new replacement.

A new transformer is estimated to cost between R12 and R16 million. 

"We appeal to customers for their patience while investigations and repair work is conducted," said Mangena. 

"We apologise to the residents for the inconvenience caused by this incident, especially on Christmas Day."