Johannesburg Power Repairs Done, Final Testing Underway

City Power has completed repairs to the line connecting the Hursthill and Mayfair substations, moving Johannesburg’s restoration effort a step closer to completion this week. The utility confirmed that supply will be returned to the first residents and businesses affected by the explosion at its Johannesburg facility. Final testing is now underway before power is restored to critical facilities, which include hospitals, the SABC and Sentech, according to SABC News. Full restoration remains the stated target.

Isaac Mangena, the utility’s spokesperson, said work is continuing to replace damaged infrastructure at the Mayfair substation. The repair programme is not yet finished, even as the first customers come back online. The sequencing reflects operational priorities: testing must conclude before critical facilities such as hospitals and broadcasters are reconnected, and replacement of damaged equipment at Mayfair continues in parallel. For residents and businesses waiting for supply, the timeline depends on how those final tests and replacement works proceed.

Meanwhile, accountability processes advanced on separate fronts in the courts. The case against former Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department deputy chief Julius Mkhwanazi and three former municipal officials is set to resume at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court. EWN reports that the accused are Imogen Mashazi, Kemi Behari and Linda Gxasheka, all former municipal officials. They are accused of shielding Mkhwanazi from accountability over allegations that he facilitated the issuing of blue lights to alleged crime kingpin Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala through a fraudulent memorandum of agreement.

The matter was previously postponed so that the defence could confirm receipt of the State’s full case docket, a procedural step that now appears resolved as the case returns to court. The resumption marks the next stage in a matter that centres on how municipal systems, including agreements and equipment authorisations, were allegedly used or misused.

By contrast, the corruption trial of former National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has resumed at the Pretoria High Court, with a new defence witness expected to testify. EWN reports that Mapisa-Nqakula faces 12 corruption charges and one count of money laundering. She is alleged to have solicited R4.5 million in bribes from a Defence Force contractor, of which the State claims she received R2.2 million to fund renovations at her home. Two additional Defence Force finance officials are expected to be subpoenaed to testify on her behalf.

Taken together, the three developments trace different stages of delivery and accountability. City Power’s restoration work shows infrastructure repair in its final phases, with testing and replacement works determining when full supply returns. The Mkhwanazi case shows a prosecution resuming after a docket-related delay, moving toward substantive hearings at the Germiston Magistrates’ Court. The Mapisa-Nqakula trial shows a defence actively assembling its witness list at the Pretoria High Court.

For residents of Johannesburg, the most immediate question is practical: when the lights come back on. City Power has set full restoration as its target and says the first affected customers will be reconnected once final testing is complete. For the courts, the question is whether the resumed proceedings in Germiston and Pretoria proceed without further postponements. In each case, the gap between what has been promised and what has been delivered remains the measure to watch.