A number of areas in Germiston, including Tedstoneville, Dukathole and Swaswap, were plunged into darkness, last Thursday.
The metro claimed that the outage was caused by a fault at the Tedstoneville substation and that the technicians were working hard to restore power.
Although technicians managed to restore power through another source, on Friday morning, it lasted for only 20 minutes and then went off again.
By Friday night the problem had escalated, when a high voltage equipment failure resulted in the explosion and burning of the Germiston South Extension Eight substation.
While metro spokesman Themba Gadebe assured residents that the metro was working to restore the power, residents shared their frustration with the situation.
Anita Sloane, a Tedstoneville resident, was at her wits end when she contacted the GCN.
“I am hoping you will be able to assist us with getting some straight answers or explanation for the power outage,” she said.
“On Thursday, the electricity went off and I started phoning the metro’s call taking centre, as did my neighbour; I was told cable theft, while she was told maintenance.
“At 1.30pm I phoned again and was told the problem was bigger than they had thought and they could not give details of when the power would be restored.
“At 4pm I was told substation, because of cables stolen, and my neighbour was told maintenance.”
In addition to the confusion, Sloane was left with spoilt food and an increasing financial burden as she had to buy diesel to power her generator.
Ursula Bell, another resident from Tedstoneville, had similar complaints.
“I have been told different reasons for the outage each time I have called the metro’s call taking centre.” she said.
“I want to know what has actually happened.
“Will I be refunded for all my meat and vegetables that have defrosted and rotted in my deep freezer?”
Gadebe said the problems at the affected substation were addressed and repaired by 3pm on Wednesday, almost a week after the power outage began.
“The metro apologises for any inconveniences caused,” he added.
The metro is yet to respond to the other issues raised by residents affected by the outage.
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