Zwartkop substation repairs near completion

Residents who are still without power in different parts of Centurion due to the fire on May 20 at the Zwartkop substation may finally have their power restored soon.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that a cable end box, which was the only missing component needed to energise the substation, has now arrived on site.

He explained that the cable end box, which connects the cables to the main transformer, had to undergo extensive modifications due to the severe damage it sustained during the fire.

“This is a meticulous process, given the age of the transformer, which dates back to 1972,” said Mashigo.

He said technicians are now engaged in the lengthy installation of the component, after which the transformer will be energised.

“Once this is done, the final testing will commence, and if results are positive, the substation is expected to be brought back online by Tuesday midday, May 27.”

Mashigo also conveyed the city’s apology to affected customers for the prolonged outage, appealing for continued patience while work is being finalised.

He added that the metro remains committed to restoring full operations safely and efficiently and will continue to keep residents informed of any further developments.

This comes after metro technicians spent the past week working around the clock to restore electricity to affected areas.

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MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo said while the team faced significant challenges, steady progress had been made.

On May 21, he confirmed that transformer B2 had successfully passed all high-voltage tests.

He described this as a major step forward in restoring the substation to full operation.

Boshielo added that cold commissioning had started and feeder panels were already undergoing testing by the metro’s technical teams.

“A significant portion of the repair work involves excavation to replace feeder and control cables that had been severely damaged by theft and vandalism.”

At the time, he said a key obstacle, however, was the missing cable end box, which had to be specially ordered.

“Once it arrives, technicians will begin cable termination work immediately,” he said.

He also noted that oil purification of the transformer was taking place to ensure it functions optimally once power is restored.

“As the MMC for Utility Services, I want to assure the affected community that our teams are working diligently to restore the substation to full operation as soon as possible,” he said.

While some areas that were initially affected by the explosion have already had their power restored, many others, including Zwartkop, Valhalla, parts of Claudius, Clubview, the military base in Thaba Tshwane and the Zwartkop Airbase, remain without electricity.

For those living in these areas, the experience has been deeply frustrating.

Mariya Kalashnikova, a resident of Godiva Road in Valhalla, said being without power has been tough for her family.

She said the situation has had a significant impact on their household.

Although they own a generator, Kalashnikova explained that it is too expensive and inefficient to run it all day.

“We spend about three to four litres of petrol a day just to keep the refrigerator running so the food and meat in the freezer don’t go bad,” she said.

“Fortunately, we have a camp gas hob with a gas bottle, which allows us to prepare some meals.”

However, Kalashnikova noted that the biggest challenge has been the lack of hot water.

She said their generator cannot handle the geyser, so they can’t take showers or even wash laundry.

“This is very bad, especially with two teenage boys in the house who are doing sports and going to school,” she said.

Kalashnikova also expressed growing concern about safety in the area, worrying that someone could easily break in under the cover of darkness.

Local businesses have also felt the brunt of the prolonged outage.

Madeleine De Jager, general manager of Lauriston Guesthouse opposite the substation, said the situation has seriously affected their operations.

While some guests have been understanding, she said others are upset about arriving at a property that is often without power.

“We can only turn on the generator for a limited number of hours each day because it has restricted capacity,” she said.

De Jager noted that the guesthouse has 20 rooms and the generator can only run for so long before needing more diesel.

In addition to electricity problems, internet service has also been disrupted.

“The connection gets slow, and sometimes the service is poor,” she said.

Despite these issues, De Jager praised Ward Councillor Ina Strijdom for her support and said the councillor has been helpful with consistent updates.

Back in April, Mashigo had outlined the metro’s preventative measures in response to questions from Rekord about substation fires and infrastructure vandalism.

He explained that the Tshwane Metro Police assists with patrols in high-risk areas to protect the electricity network from theft and damage.

“All the substations have surge arrestors installed. The paint used inside the substations enables protection of the building against fire,” he said.

Addressing the financial impact of such incidents, Mashigo revealed that the estimated cost of repairs following a fire at a substation is approximately R13-million.

“This figure then gets submitted to the city’s insurance for claims processing.”

Mashigo also detailed the process the metro follows after such incidents.

This includes conducting damage impact assessments, checking for available spares both internally and from other municipalities, and initiating emergency procurement if necessary.

He explained that technicians then remove damaged components, replace cables, conduct comprehensive testing on feeders and transformers, and only then proceed to restore power.

Following the Zwartkop fire, DA caucus leader Cilliers Brink questioned the frequency of substation fires in Tshwane and criticised the apparent lack of surge and fire protection systems.

“No substation is meant to burn down due to voltage surges, whether caused by lightning or cables being hacked off,” he said.

He explained that a functional surge protection system, supported by backup battery power, should automatically shut the substation down before a fire can start.

Brink argued that such systems not only protect infrastructure but also save lives.

“If the surge protection fails, the second line of defence should be fire suppression systems such as sprinklers.”

He referred to an investigation he initiated during his term as mayor following the Mooikloof substation fire last year.

That probe was meant to assess the state of surge protection systems, track payments to contractors hired for repairs, and investigate delays in critical tenders.

“The rebuilding of substations by contractors is an easy way of extracting high amounts of money from the city in a short period of time,” he said.

Brink suggested that there may have been vested interests inside the municipality that deliberately neglected maintenance for financial gain.

“By the time our administration was voted out of office, this investigation had not yet been completed.”

The metro is yet to respond to Rekord regarding the claims made by Brink.

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