Despite the refurbishment of the Wapadrand and Mooikloof substations, a local ward councillor and residents claim the power grid remains unstable.

They believed that only once secondary substations receive urgent maintenance and upgrades will things improve.

Ward 44 councillor Samantha de la Rey welcomed the upgrades at the two major substations but stressed that secondary substations such as Koedoeberg and Faerie Glen must also be prioritised to ensure long-term stability.

Her remarks follow a pre-inspection conducted last month by the Section 79 Oversight Committee on Utility Services, led by then-chairperson Cllr Flora Monama, at the Wapadrand and Mooikloof substations.

The committee expressed satisfaction with progress at both substations, claiming that the electricity supply will now be stable in the east.

De la Rey said that while the upgrades have slightly improved electricity supply in her ward, underlying risks remain.

“The main concern for power supply to Ward 44 would be the secondary substations like Koedoeberg Substation and Faerie Glen Substation. Both of these substations require maintenance,” she said.

She said that since the switchover to the new Wapadrand Substation in January, the power supply has been improved and stable, but the secondary substation supplies the most power to her ward.

She noted that the Olympus side of Ward 44 experienced two outages in the past month, both of which were resolved within 48 hours.

“These outages were not due to the substation itself, but rather a cable fault on a ring feed,” she explained.

However, De La Rey emphasised that the main concern for electricity supply in Ward 44, including Faerie Glen and Olympus, lies with secondary substations.

She described the Koedoeberg Substation as a critical risk, noting that it was vandalised about two years ago and has yet to be refurbished.

“This substation is currently carrying the full load of the areas in my ward at half capacity due to vandalism and theft. If this is not addressed, and the necessary refurbishment and upgrades are not completed, we will continue to experience power outages,” she warned.

She stressed the need to address the broader electricity network upgrade.

“The new Wapadrand Substation has brought more stability to the power supply. However, if the secondary substations do not receive the necessary refurbishments, then the power supply will remain at risk,” she said.

She added that the Koedoeberg secondary substation requires urgent refurbishment to ensure a fully stable power supply to parts of Faerie Glen and Olympus.

De La Rey also raised concerns about budget underspending and its impact on infrastructure maintenance.

“The current administration is under budget, with an underspending of R5.8-million on maintenance and substation refurbishment for electricity. This directly impacts residents in the form of power outages,” she said.

Meanwhile, Monama highlighted the importance of the Wapadrand and Mooikloof substations in maintaining electricity supply in Pretoria’s eastern region.

She said the Mooikloof Substation has completed refurbishment as part of the city’s ongoing efforts to strengthen electricity infrastructure and improve supply reliability.

According to Monama, the Wapadrand Substation serves about 80 000 residents and businesses in areas including Wapadrand, Silver Lakes, Equestria, Faerie Glen, and Lombardy.

“The substation suffered significant fire damage in 2018 and 2021, and underwent major refurbishment, including the replacement of key electrical components, installation of a new transformer, and upgraded safety and fire-suppression systems,” she said.

Monama added that the refurbishment has reached practical completion, with final works expected to conclude shortly, and confirmed that the substation is fully operational.

She further noted that the substations support the broader network connected to the Kwagga Substation, which supplies electricity to areas including Rosslyn, Mabopane, Soshanguve, Winterveldt, Ga-Rankuwa, Hammanskraal, Pretoria North, Wonderboom, Waltloo, Silverton, and Mamelodi.

Monama expressed satisfaction with progress at both substations, stating that despite challenges during implementation, the projects demonstrate the city’s commitment to ensuring reliable electricity supply for residents.

The new Wapadrand Substation includes modern 11kV and 132kV switchgear, remote monitoring technology linked to Capital Park, enhanced fire-protection systems and improved fault isolation to prevent secondary network failures from reaching the main substation.

The rebuild began after a 2021 fire, aiming to modernise the 132/11kV facility. So far, over 85% of the budget has been spent to upgrade, strengthen safety, and increase capacity to prevent power trips.

Delayed from an initial end-of-2024 finish to November 2025 because of complex repairs and supply challenges, the upgrade is now entering the final tests and handover stage, promising safer and more reliable electricity for residents.

It will now include an ARC-Protection Scheme on the 11kV switchgear panels and physically separating the 11kV buildings to reduce fire risk. Most of the previous fires were caused by faults in the secondary network.

By the time of publication, the metro had not yet responded to the claims over Koedoeberg and Faerie Glen substations.

ALSO READ: Refurbishment of Koedoeberg Substation delayed as metro plans phased upgrades

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