UPDATE: Power being restored to 95,000 Tshwane residents after explosion

About 95,000 residents in Tshwane woke up with no power on Tuesday morning after a voltage transformer exploded at Babelegi substation, with Eskom scurrying to restore electricity supply.

Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said six substations were affected by a voltage transformer explosion at the Babelegi substation and damage to a conductor and fourth insulator at one of the main lines.

Mokwena later said power was being restored.

“Eskom has successfully replaced the voltage transformer at the Babelegi substation. As a result, the power supply has been fully restored to all the affected areas. Our dedicated team is diligently working on repairing the outstanding main line, including the conductor and the damaged insulators.”

Affected areas

Among the areas affected were Mathibestad, Makapanstad, GaMotla,  Eersterus, Stinkwater, Dilopye, Suurman, Majaneng, Sekampaneng, Mashimong, Bridgeview, Kudube, Temba, Rens, Hans Kekana and Hammanskraal West.

Eskom apologised for the inconvenience.

Watch a Tshwane resident explain his electricity and service delivery challenges

Load shedding

Meanwhile, South Africa will continue to be free from power cuts after Eskom announced that load shedding will remain suspended until further notice.

The country has not experienced any load shedding stages for 20 consecutive days – the longest stretch so far in 2024.

ALSO READ: Load shedding reprieve to continue until further notice – Eskom

Most power cuts this year were at Stage 1 and 2, showing a shift from the more severe outages of the previous year

According to Eskom, the suspension of the rolling blackouts was due to the sustained availability of generation capacity and emergency reserves at its power stations.

Mokwena said a total of 2 150 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity had been anticipated to be restored by Monday.

“Eskom will provide an update on Wednesday afternoon or promptly communicate any significant changes should they occur.”

Winter

Last week, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa attributed the noticeable decrease in the intensity and frequency of load shedding across South Africa to planned maintenance.

This has signalled progress in energy stability as the winter season edges closer.

Ramokgopa hinted that Eskom plans to leverage the extra capacity generated from wind energy to mitigate the impact of load shedding, starting in May.

“In winter, when the cold front passes through the Western and Eastern Cape, the wind generation increases significantly, so we are going to see a greater contribution from wind energy during those months,” he said.

The minister disclosed that while the winter plan was still underway, Eskom anticipates allocating R30 billion for diesel procurement for the current financial year.

ALSO READ: Now 16 stages of load shedding but you don’t have to worry – Ramokgopa