Region 3 residents can expect refurbishments at the Blesbok 11kV Secondary Substation in Ward 84 to be completed soon.

These refurbishments form part of the metro’s electricity stabilisation plan, through which targeted interventions are being made to restore reliability, modernise ageing infrastructure, and protect critical electricity assets across the city.

MMC for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, said in the 2025/26 financial year, focused work has been undertaken in Region 3 to address long-standing service delivery challenges, particularly in the Queenswood and Koedoespoort industrial areas.

Boshielo asserts that the refurbishment of the Blesbok substation stands as a clear example of this work taking shape on the ground.

“The substation had previously experienced severe operational setbacks due to repeated incidents of theft and vandalism, leading to unreliable supply and frequent outages affecting both households and businesses. Its restoration has therefore been prioritised as part of the city’s infrastructure renewal programme,” Boshielo said.

Since February, the appointed service provider has been on site carrying out extensive refurbishment work.

Progress to date includes general renovations, upgrade of access control and security measures, installation of improved lighting, establishment of a temporary substation arrangement, and removal of old and obsolete infrastructure.

The MMC said new switchgear is being installed, and they expect to finish by May.

“Once complete, the refurbished Blesbok substation will deliver a more stable and reliable electricity supply, while enhancing the city’s ability to manage faults more precisely and minimise the spread of outages across the network.

“The impact will be immediate and tangible. Residents will experience improved reliability, businesses will benefit from greater certainty, and the surrounding area will see strengthened public lighting and safer, more functional infrastructure.

“Communities expected to benefit directly from this project include Queenswood, Koedoespoort Industrial, and Elandsfontein,” Boshielo said.

As Blesbok is a secondary substation, supplied by the larger Koedoespoort Substation, the refurbished systems will allow technicians to isolate faults to specific network sections. This is to prevent a single failure at the Koedoespoort primary substation from causing a total blackout for all connected suburbs.

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