DA mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink has lodged a formal complaint with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) today, September 29, calling for an investigation into Tshwane’s distribution network and its licence compliance.

He said the metro collected about R14b a year in electricity revenue while experiencing about 4 600 power interruptions a month.

“Such long power outages, so regularly, may constitute a breach of the city’s electricity distribution licence conditions,” Brink said.

Waltloo Substation fire causes widespread outages

The call comes as parts of Tshwane face widespread power disruptions following a storm and a fire just after 09:00 at Waltloo Substation today, September 29.

The City of Tshwane Emergency Services Department alerted consumers today, September 29, that firefighting crews from Mamelodi and Silverton stations were responding to the Waltloo Substation fire.

A rapid response vehicle, foam tanker, and water tanker were deployed, while electricity and energy technicians worked with emergency personnel to assess and manage the affected electrical infrastructure, with the metro explaining at midday today, September 29, that the cause and extent of damage were not yet established.

Brink said the scale and frequency of outages such as these indicated a wider infrastructure problem.

“The collapse in the reliability of Tshwane’s electricity network is not simply the result of ageing infrastructure: it is also the result of bad political and budget decisions,” he said.

The Electricity Regulation Act provides for standards relating to the quality of electricity supply and service, performance improvement targets, and the operation and maintenance of distribution networks.

Brink said the DA believed the metro was not meeting those requirements.

“We will be requesting that NERSA launch an investigation by independent experts who can tell us what needs to be done to keep the lights on,” Brink said.

Frequency of interruptions highlights maintenance gaps

The NERSA complaint follows figures cited by Brink showing that Tshwane recorded about 4 600 power interruptions a month between January and May, while South Africa experienced 16 days of load-shedding during the same period, compared with 83 days in the corresponding period in 2024.

Brink said the average Tshwane interruption during that period lasted 22 hours and five minutes. “That is almost a full day without electricity,” Brink said.

“In order to keep the lights on you need to spend money on maintenance,” Brink said, alleging that infrastructure budgets had been reduced to fund other municipal spending, including payments to contractors.

“The year the DA was voted out in Tshwane was the year there were more outages in Pretoria because of municipal infrastructure than Eskom load-shedding,” he said.

He also referred to East Lynne, saying the area experienced an extended power outage. “For a month at the end of 2025, East Lynne had no power,” Brink said.

Brink said the electricity crisis had implications beyond household disruptions, including for businesses and employment.

The DA has linked Tshwane’s electricity reliability to job losses, citing a loss of 85 000 jobs in Tshwane between April 2025 and April 2026. Brink said the condition of the electricity grid had contributed to those losses.

Investigation into Waltloo blaze ongoing

Emergency services spokesperson Nana Radebe-Kgiba said the cause of the Waltloo fire remained under investigation and a full technical assessment would be conducted once firefighting operations were completed.

Brink said the NERSA process should establish what work was required on the network. “We will do this to keep the lights on,” Brink said.

The immediate focus, however, remains the disruption affecting the network and the response at Waltloo. Radebe-Kgiba said emergency crews would remain at the substation until the fire is brought under control and further information would be released once verified details about the incident and its impact become available.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the network tripped at Njala Infeed Substation due to the explosion at Waltloo Substation, leaving 11 primary supply stations off: Waltloo Substation, Wingate, Heatherly, Mooikloof, Wapadrand, CSIR, Scientia, Highlands, Willows, Lynnwood and Villeria.

– Click here to watch a video of Waltloo substation burning:

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