Tshwane hit by days-long blackout after Zwartkop explosion — sabotage suspected

Residents across parts of Centurion and Pretoria East remain without electricity for a third consecutive day following a devastating fire and explosion at the Zwartkop substation on Tuesday morning.

Technical teams are working around the clock to restore power, but repairs are proving complex due to extensive damage caused by what officials suspect was deliberate sabotage.

Tshwane Zwartkop substation repair progress

Tshwane’s Energy and Electricity technicians have made significant headway in their efforts to restore the critical infrastructure.

According to the city’s spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, Transformer B2 successfully passed all high-voltage tests after rigorous testing that began on Monday.

However, the transformer’s cable end box requires complete replacement due to severe damage sustained during theft and vandalism incidents.

Mashigo confirmed that a specially ordered cable end box for the backup transformer is expected to arrive on site by Friday, 23 May, after which cable termination work will commence.

“Once the new cable end box is installed and cable termination is completed, the transformer will be safe to operate,” said Mashigo.

In an update on Thursday afternoon, Mashigo confirmed that the city’s electricity technicians were working on the Zwartkop Substation, replacing the damaged 630mm feeder cables as part of the repair work to the substation.

“The team successfully excavated the feeder and control cables yesterday, following a physically demanding exercise,” Mashigo stated.

He added that other members of the team are concurrently installing Neutral Current Transformer (NCT) and the Neutral Earthing Resistor (NER). The two components are meant to protect the main transformers at the substation.

“To ensure optimal performance, the oil purification process on the 35MVA transformer will
continue until the transformer is energised.”

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Tshwane appeals for patience amid power outage

The extended outage has left thousands of residents without power during a cold front, adding to the hardship experienced by affected communities.

Mashigo acknowledged the inconvenience and appealed for understanding from residents.

“The city pleads for patience and cooperation from the affected customers whilst technicians are working around the clock to restore power,” Mashigo said.

The city has committed to keeping consumers informed of developments as repair work progresses, though no specific timeline for full restoration has been provided pending completion of the major repair components.

“The estimated time for restoration will be communicated once the bulk of the repair work has been completed,” Mashigo stated.

ALSO READ: Community foils attempted theft of transformers at Claudius Substation [VIDEO]

Infrastructure security crisis

The Zwartkop incident forms part of a growing pattern of infrastructure attacks that has raised serious alarm among city officials.

Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya revealed during a briefing on Thursday that the city has experienced fires at six substations in the past six months alone.

“The situation is not normal. We are raising an alarm even with our colleagues at national in terms of what needs to happen because this is not a normal situation,” Moya said.

The mayor attributed the vulnerability to a previous decision to withdraw security from critical infrastructure, noting that preliminary reports indicate deliberate sabotage rather than accidental failures.

“A person walks into our substation, cuts a cable and leaves, and we are left with a fire two hours later,” Moya explained.

ALSO READ: Wave of substation fires in Tshwane raises red flags

Recent infrastructure achievements

Despite the security challenges, the city has made progress on other electrical infrastructure projects.

Tshwane completed critical upgrades in the Social Movement area, finishing the IA substation upgrade a month ahead of schedule.

The DD reticulation project was completed two weeks ago, while the BB project stood at 55% completion at the time of the briefing.

“The community of Bibi social movement will also have a stable electricity supply by end of May,” Moya announced.

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