A City of Tshwane electrician was injured on Tuesday after being electrocuted while conducting tests to locate a faulty cable in Equestria, East of Pretoria, amid ongoing power outages.

The incident occurred during restoration efforts following a widespread outage that affected several eastern Pretoria suburbs, including Wapadrand and Equestria, which lost power at around 23:00 on Monday, June 16.

According to Ward 85 councillor Jacqui Uys, the outage was linked to a trip at the Wapadrand Substation. Technicians were deployed the following morning and traced the issue to a cable fault.

“While the team was conducting tests to pinpoint the fault, one of the electricians was electrocuted and suffered burn injuries. The incident also caused the substation transformer to trip again,” said Uys.

She said Emergency Services were called immediately, and the injured worker was stabilised on site before being transported to hospital for further care.

Following the incident, the technical team was withdrawn to allow for a full safety investigation, which has delayed the estimated time of power restoration in the remaining affected areas.

Uys confirmed that while electricity has been restored to most suburbs, a section of Equestria remains without power as work continues. “Our thoughts are with the injured official and his loved ones during this difficult time,” she said.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said Tshwane Metro regrets to confirm that one of its electricians was injured earlier today while performing maintenance duties as part of a scheduled operation in Equestria, East of Pretoria.

“The incident occurred during an effort to recover a trip on the network,” Mashigo stated.

He said the employee, a member of the switching team, sustained injuries and has since received medical attention.

The full extent of the injury is still being assessed. “In line with safety protocols, the team has been temporarily withdrawn from the site,” he added

According to Mashigo an Occupational .Health and Safety (OHS) inspection is currently underway to determine the exact cause and nature of the incident.

“As a result, this may impact the estimated time of restoration (ETR) for affected areas.”

Mashigo said the ETR will be communicated tomorrow morning, following the conclusion of the safety investigation.

He added that the city appeals for patience and understanding during this period, as the safety of personnel and the public remains our top priority.

“We also urge public representatives to refrain from making premature or misinformed statements, as these can create unnecessary confusion during critical operations. Further updates will be shared as more information becomes available,” he concluded.

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