Malvern power outage: replacement mini substation being sourced
City Power says customers on 13th Street in Malvern, Johannesburg, have been without electricity since September following vandalism at a mini substation at Jules and Loch streets. In its 28 October 2026 update, the utility says it is sourcing a replacement unit after the existing equipment failed final safety tests.
Status of this incident
Current status unconfirmed
Last known status: confirmed by the source · City Power says the Malvern mini substation replacement is being sourced; restored supply and a restoration deadline are unconfirmed.
Source moment: Oct 28, 2026, 04:59 PM UTC (06:59 PM local time)
In 20 seconds
City Power attributes the prolonged interruption on 13th Street to vandalism of the local mini substation.
Replacement low-voltage breakers were installed, but the unit failed final safety tests, according to the operator.
The utility plans to replace the entire mini substation. A replacement is being sourced; no restoration deadline is supplied.
Replacement follows unsuccessful safety tests
City Power says its teams found vandalised low-voltage breakers and installed replacements. The mini substation then failed final safety tests. The utility says it decided to replace the entire unit and is now sourcing a new one. This describes the operator’s technical account; the equipment has not been independently inspected for this report.
Sourcing a replacement does not establish that it has been delivered, installed or brought into service. The 28 October statement gives no restoration deadline. It therefore leaves the next milestones, including replacement availability and completion of work, unconfirmed. The unsuccessful tests are not evidence that power has returned to affected connections.
What the sources tell us, and what they do not
- Reported area
- 13th Street, Malvern, Johannesburg
- Equipment location
- Mini substation at Jules and Loch streets
- Operator’s repair position
- Replacement breakers installed; unit failed final safety tests; entire mini substation to be replaced
- Restoration schedule
- Replacement unit being sourced; no deadline supplied
Local impact and timing remain qualified
The operator identifies customers on 13th Street in Malvern and the mini substation at Jules and Loch streets. It says they have been without supply since September, but gives no exact September start date or affected customer total. That account supports reporting a prolonged local interruption without assigning an exact duration in days or estimating how many people are affected.
The named street and equipment location do not establish an outage across all of Malvern or Johannesburg. The available notice also does not provide an address-by-address supply position. The prolonged interruption and the explanation of vandalism remain attributed to City Power, rather than presented as independently inspected findings.
Preparing while the replacement schedule is unknown
The grid-down essentials guide helps organise household devices and supplies. The runtime calculator compares selected device demand with battery capacity, and the internet backup guide covers connectivity planning. These resources support preparation while the replacement schedule is unknown; they do not verify supply at an address or predict when City Power will finish the work.