Africa News

Widespread power cuts in Johannesburg cause rush hour chaos

Sep 8, 2006, 18:47 GMT

Johannesburg - Widespread power cuts throughout the South African city of Johannesburg early Friday caused chaos in and around the city with motorists particularly affected. Most suburbs in north-west and north-eastern Johannesburg were without power or experienced frequent and unexpected morning outages as city officials tried to determine the cause of the problem. Traffic jams along roads leading to the inner city during peak travelling time also caused a great deal of confusion and frustration. 'It took me two hours and fifteen minutes to travel 14 kilometres,' a motorist told the Sapa news agency. The city has been experiencing regular power cuts that officials often blame on aging infrastructure and a growing demand for electricity. Other parts of the country, particularly the city of Cape Town, more than 1,600 kilometres away, have had similar problems. South Africa, a country of more than 40 million people, recently announced plans for the construction of at least six nuclear power stations to boost its energy capability. © 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Widespread power cuts in Johannesburg cause rush hour chaos

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