The metro’s Section 79 Oversight Committee recently reported that the upgrades to Kwagga Substation are proceeding as planned, following years of unattended-to ageing infrastructure.
On the first inspection since assuming the position of Chairperson of Utilities, Thabang G Sebotsane, said the engagement was robust, constructive and purpose-driven, with councillors asking difficult but necessary questions.
He asserted that oversight must be more than a procedural exercise; it must identify risks, demand accountability and produce solutions.
“Kwagga remains one of Tshwane’s most strategic assets, supplying over 60% of the city’s electricity. However, years of historic neglect and underinvestment in infrastructure have left the city confronting ageing systems, capacity constraints and an escalating threat of theft and sabotage. These challenges now place energy security and reliable service delivery under severe pressure,” Sebotsane said.
Kwagga Substation acts as a primary energy hub that routes bulk electricity from major Eskom power stations into the municipal power grid.
The substation feeds the Pretoria CBD, Pretoria West, Atteridgeville, Pretoria North, Centurion, Rosslyn, and Soshanguve.
It is also part of the Tshwane Strengthening Project, connecting to other major distribution sites via 400kV and 275kV transmission lines to combat regional overloading.
Last year, as part of the city’s Three-Year Transformer Project, the city closed an open public bid for the supply, delivery, installation, testing, and commissioning of a new 300MVA power transformer at the Kwagga 275/132kV facility.
Sebotsane said the committee supported recommendations calling for accountability on insurance matters, implementation timelines, infrastructure refurbishment, and a comprehensive city-wide turnaround strategy.
“We cannot continue managing inherited decline. Strategic infrastructure is central to economic growth, public safety and community well-being. [The] Section 79 Committee believes oversight must translate into decisive action, because residents deserve reliable services and infrastructure built for the future,” Sebotsane added.
One of the councillors part of the inspection, Ward 58 Councillor Conride Ngoveni, said the inspection was especially necessary as the metro wants to secure the supply as winter nears.
“The purpose of inspection in loco was to check the maintenance plan on the three 300MVA transformers and to get an update on the one 300MVA that burned in 2019, also to assess if there will be [an] uninterrupted supply to residents in the winter seasons,” Ngoveni said.
“We have been informed that the power station is functioning well, unless there are minor trips from the Eskom side. The plan to refurbish the 300MVA, which was abandoned by the previous administration for the past seven years, is underway, and supply chain management is finalising the appointment.”
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