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The ransomware attack has affected the power company's ability to react to power outages
A major electricity supplier in the largest city in South Africa has been hit by a ransomware attack, leaving some residents without electricity.
City Power revealed Thursday that its computer systems had been closed.
"It encrypted all our databases, applications and network" the company tweeted, referring to the virus.
The City Power website remains disconnected and residents have reported problems with electricity supply via social media.
The ransomware attack initially affected customers' ability to purchase prepaid electricity and also hindered the company's efforts to deal with localized power outages.
A spokesman for City Power told the BBC that more than a quarter of a million people would have been affected.
"These are the people on the prepaid system[s] and would buy electricity anytime, "he said.
"These people could not access the system."
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Ransomware is a type of malware that infects computers and encrypts or locks files and systems.
The attackers say that they will restore access once payment is made – but there is no guarantee that they will do it.
The city of Johannesburg, owner of the electricity company, said most computer systems had now been restored.
However, city officials acknowledged that there were still problems and said that customers could save the errors on an alternative website.
"Customers should not panic because none of their details has been compromised," said a tweet posted on the official Twitter account of the city.
"We apologize for the inconvenience caused to the inhabitants of the city of Joburg."
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