CAPE Town was largely brough to a standstill on Monday when a power cut left hundreds of thousands of commuters stranded and hospitals without power. SABC news reported on Monday evening that city hospitals were unable to perform operations and some outpatient departments had to be closed. The cut, which started at 11pm on Sunday night, was caused by dust in sub-station insulators, Eskom said. Eskom said the poor weather and recent high winds were the cause of the dust.