Parts of Soweto remain without electricity on Thursday, 10 July 2025, as power utility Eskom continues to grapple with widespread faults and restoration delays.
UPDATE: Eskom issued the latest developments about the Soweto outages:
- 50% of electricity supply has been restored in Jabulani, Sgodiphola and Zondi.
- Teams are on site continuing with cable repairs and restoring supply to Pimville Zones 1, 2 and 3.
- Jointers are busy with cable repairs and restoring supply to Meadowlands Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Soteba.
- Electricity supply has been restored in Jabulani and Zondi. Unfortunately, during the process of energising the feeder that supplies these areas, a cable fault occurred, causing a further outage. As a result, customers in Sgodiphola are still without power.
- Delays in cable repairs and restoring supply to Meadowlands Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Soteba is due to rocky surfaces where cables are located.
- 60% of customers in Pimville Zones 1, 2, and 3 power supply is restored. Jointers are on-site working on cable repairs to ensure that supply is restored to the remaining customers.
- Electricity supply to Meadowlands Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and Soteba is restored.
Eskom issues latest update on Soweto outages
Several areas have now entered their fourth consecutive day without power, pushing frustration levels among residents to the brink.
Meadowlands Zones 1 through 10 and Soteba have been without electricity since Monday, 7 July.
Residents have endured days of darkness without clear updates on when supply will return. Pimville and Dobsonville are on Day 2 of their respective outages, while Jabulani, Mofolo North (Sgodiphola), and Zondi are in Day 3.
Eskom has explained that multiple factors are contributing to the power outages, including cable faults and infrastructure overloads.
In simple terms, cable faults happen when the wires that deliver power—often buried underground—are damaged. This damage could be due to old infrastructure, bad weather, or acts of vandalism.
According to the latest update, Eskom has deployed jointers, who are specialists trained to manually repair these cables. The utility also dispatched a test van to help pinpoint the exact location of faults in Jabulani, Mofolo North, and Zondi, but has not provided an estimated time of restoration.
“We discovered further faults causing delays in restoring supply to Jabulani, Mofolo North (Sgodiphola), and Zondi. A test van and jointers have been dispatched to continue with cable repairs. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and assure you that we are doing everything possible to complete the repairs and restore supply. At this stage, we are unable to give the estimated time of restoration,” Eskom stated.
In Diepkloof, the main substation suffered a major setback when a transformer tripped due to overloading. This typically occurs when too many high-power devices like heaters and geysers are used at the same time, stressing the electrical system beyond its limit.
Eskom warned that this type of overloading could damage infrastructure or cause explosions.
“Overloaded transformers can cause serious damage or even explosions, putting lives and infrastructure at risk,” the utility said.
Eskom has urged residents to reduce electricity usage during peak hours between 17:00 and 22:00.
The broader concern lies with the national grid, where unplanned breakdowns have reached 13 167 megawatts. This figure surpasses the winter forecast’s warning limit of 13 000MW.
If it crosses 15 000MW, Eskom may have to implement Stage 2 loadshedding for up to 21 days before the end of August.
While Eskom says the national grid remains stable, localised power outages tell a different story.
About a month ago, residents in Meadowlands staged a shutdown in protest of prolonged blackouts, according to GroundUp. Roads were blocked with burning tyres and rocks, and the demonstrations lasted three days.
“There is no communication. We just find ourselves with no electricity without knowing what the issue is,” Meadowlands resident Tshidiso Makamu told GroundUp at the time.
Eskom previously indicated that safety concerns during the protests prevented technicians from accessing the area.
“We urgently appeal to the community to allow our employees safe access to continue their work,” the utility said on social media.
As of Thursday, power remains out in multiple parts of Soweto, with no clear restoration timelines.
The utility continues to apologise, but delays and inconsistent communication have left many residents in the dark—both literally and figuratively.