Wapadrand Substation renovation deadline moves to December

The refurbishment of Wapadrand Substation in the east of Pretoria has become the centre of a political battle.

While the current coalition is insisting the delays stem from failures under the DA’s own tenure, the DA is accusing Tshwane of wasting millions on a project that has yet to deliver anything to residents.

The multimillion-rand upgrade of the fire-damaged substation was supposed to be finished by October, but the deadline has now been pushed to December, according to the metro.

For residents, this means yet more months of unreliable electricity supply after years of blackouts, fires, and temporary fixes.

DA Tshwane spokesperson for Utilities, Themba Fosi, questioned whether the metro had already paid for work that had not been completed. He said the drawn-out delays raise ‘serious concerns’ about accountability.

“This is deeply troubling. Residents were told the substation would be completed earlier. It raises serious questions, such as whether the city paid for work that hasn’t been completed, or if the project has simply run out of money,” Fosi said.

He said the Wapadrand Substation risks becoming another costly white elephant if accountability is not enforced.

He explained that DA ward councillors visited the substation in March, and were assured that Phase 1 would be commissioned by April and Phase 2 by June.

“However, months later, the facility remains partially inactive, and no additional funding has been allocated in the city’s 2025/26 budget.”

According to Fosi, residents deserve clarity and a functioning substation, not empty promises and wasted money.

“The repeated outages disrupt daily life, damage businesses, and reduce confidence in the city’s ability to deliver essential services. Pretoria east communities have waited long enough, and they cannot continue to live in uncertainty while millions are being spent.

“The city has been promising a reliable power supply for years, yet residents continue to face outages,” he added. “The lack of accountability and follow-through erodes public trust.”

But the metro rejected the claims, saying the project is already 85% complete and will be finished within the revised timeline.

MMC for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, went further, accusing the DA of failures during their tenure.

Boshielo claimed that the very delays Fosi were criticising were rooted in failures during the DA’s leadership of the metro.

“The DA had three MMCs who presided over the work of the contractor on Wapadrand via social media statements. This is unfortunate and, at worst, desperate [the] politicking character of DA councillors who cannot accept they are no longer MMC’s,” Boshielo said.

He alleged that under DA leadership, contractors were not paid for months, despite submitting certified invoices, breaching the contract and forcing the contractor to seek a cession for switchgear panels in January 2024.

Boshielo said the Wapadrand project involves the refurbishment of the 132/11kV substation after two fire incidents.

The project is aimed at stabilising electricity supply and cater for future growth.

Boshielo added that the project to refurbish the substation was initiated during the so-called ‘failed years’ of the DA, as the project was awarded in December 2021, and the contractor took possession of site in March 2022.

“Under the DA, the contractors were not paid for invoices submitted, resulting in the contractor seeking a cession for switchgear panels in January 2024, which was approved in May 2024, all these under the leadership of Themba Fosi, ‘Mr Amnesia’,” he said.

He said the cession payments were only made after the DA was booted out of the leadership of the Tshwane council in September last year.

“Only then the switchgear manufacturing started and factory acceptance test (FAT) was done in July this year.”

Boshielo said the delays in payments to contractors led to the seeking of contact extension to ensure delivery, installation and commissions, which is granted until December.

“Contrary to the lies by Fosi and his DA, that R117-million (100%) expenditure has been [spent on the project], that is not [yet] commissioned, the reality is that the project expenditure is [now] sitting on R72-million (70%).”

Boshielo concluded by saying the current administration remains committed to completing the work and projects that the DA failed to ensure delivery.

Metro spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, responded to the concerns, explaining the reasons for the delay and the steps being taken to complete the project.

He said the contract was meant to run for three years, from November 1, 2021, to October 31, 2024, but delivery delays of 11kV switchgear for Boards A and B have pushed the completion date to December this year.

“We are working closely with suppliers to ensure completion within the revised timeframe.”

He added that the refurbishment includes the construction of a new substation building, installation of 11kV and 132kV switchgear, batteries, chargers, communication panels, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, and CCTV cameras.

Mashigo said the metro is also improving fire protection systems.

“We are installing the 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.

“These upgrades will ensure faults are isolated before they reach the primary substation, and the system will be much safer and more reliable going forward.”

Mashigo said the project is now 85% complete, with civil works, stage C 11kV switchgear, 132kV switchgear, batteries, communication panels, CCTV cameras, and procurement of the A and B switchgear already finalised. Stage C has been energised and is operational.

He emphasised that once completed, the refurbished substation will provide Pretoria east with a more reliable electricity supply.

“The previous 11kV switchgear was damaged by fire, but the upgraded technology and protection systems will prevent similar incidents in the future,” he said.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.