If the whole street is dark, it's load-shedding, load reduction or a municipal fault, and an electrician can't help. If the neighbours have power and you don't, work through these checks first.
1. Check the DB board
Open your distribution board (DB board) and look for any switch in the down/off position.
- The main switch is off: switch it back on once. If it trips again straight away, leave it off and call an electrician.
- The earth leakage has tripped: something is leaking power to earth. See why the earth leakage keeps tripping for a safe way to find the circuit.
- One circuit breaker is off: only part of the house will be dark. Reset it once; if it trips again, the fault is on that circuit.
Don't reset anything if you smell burning, see scorch marks or the board is wet.
2. Check a prepaid meter
If you have a prepaid meter, look at the display:
- Credit at zero: buy and load a token.
- An error code or tamper message: contact the City of Ekurhuleni or your meter supplier with the meter number and code.
- Display completely blank: the supply to the meter may be off, so move to step 3.
3. Check the supply to your house
If nothing in the DB board has tripped and the meter is blank, the fault is probably before your DB board: the municipal cable, the kiosk on the pavement, or the meter. This is the city's responsibility. Report it to the City of Ekurhuleni and keep the reference number. Ask a neighbour whether they had a flicker or bang at the same time; that helps the fault team.
4. Half the house has power
If some lights work and others don't, or appliances behave strangely (dim lights, motors humming), you may have lost one phase or the neutral. This can damage appliances. Switch off sensitive equipment and call an electrician or the municipality, depending on where the fault is.
When to call an electrician
- The main switch or earth leakage trips again as soon as you reset it.
- Burning smell, buzzing or heat from the DB board, plugs or switches. See plug point sparking or burning smell.
- The fault is on your side of the meter, inside the property.
For urgent help, compare emergency electricians in Benoni. If you have an inverter, also check its bypass switch: see our inverter backup guide.