Residents and businesses in Lynnwood and surrounding areas have raised concerns about the condition and maintenance of the Lynnwood Substation following repeated power trips and reports of oil leaks at the facility.

Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller said that the ongoing electricity disruptions affecting areas such as Lynnwood, Brooklyn, and Hatfield appear to originate from the same substation, raising questions about the reliability of the infrastructure and the adequacy of maintenance.

Muller said the repeated tripping of panels suggests underlying faults that have not been fully addressed.

“My concerns are about the condition of the Lynnwood Substation. Repeated tripping of panels at the substation says there’s something wrong, and it keeps tripping and tripping out whole areas of Lynnwood sections or the whole of Lynnwood,” she said.

She added that the tripping often affects neighbouring areas as well.

“It trips out sections in Brooklyn, Hatfield, repeat over and over, and the problem is always at the Lynnwood Substation.”

According to Muller, the metro has previously indicated that the network has enough capacity to accommodate increased densification in the area.

However, she believes unresolved faults within the electricity rings could be contributing to the recurring outages.

“With rings that are not being repaired, that means a ring of electricity going through an area. They just bypass it onto another ring and they never repair the fault that they should have,” she said.

Muller acknowledged that some maintenance had been conducted in the past, but said it appeared limited.

“I remember that in 2024 they did maintenance on one transformer, but when is the next transformer going to be done?”

She also questioned the level of visible activity at the substation.

“Visual inspections are conducted monthly, but we aren’t told about repairs or when scheduled repairs will be made available. It’s very rare that any maintenance team is there,” Muller said.

A resident living in flats overlooking the substation recently informed her that technicians were on site a few weeks ago, but Muller said such visits appear infrequent.

“The activity at that substation, which is a primary substation, does not indicate that there is regular maintenance.”

Another concern raised by Muller relates to oil leaks at the facility, which she said indicate underlying faults in the equipment.

“Anywhere where oil is leaking says there is a problem. Why are they not repairing where there are problems? That is as big an issue as the fire hazard,” she said.

Muller added that some infrastructure within the electricity ring in Lynnwood had previously been flooded.

According to Muller, they [metro repair team] saw it and left, and they didn’t come back until a complaint was lodged.

She believes residents deserve more transparency regarding maintenance work and repair timelines.

“I would like to see a report from the city on the specific ones that have been raised, what they say the problem is, and what the timelines are for repairs or maintenance. They need to prove that they’re actually doing maintenance.”

Muller said she has escalated the concerns to the relevant departments but has not received a response.

“The maintenance of electrical infrastructure is not being maintained. It happens when there’s a crisis, then they do something, and then they just carry on.”

She also urged residents and businesses to report issues directly to the municipality and to her office so that concerns can be formally escalated.

“The message to residents and businesses is that they need to report it. They need to send emails and let me know where there is an issue, because we need to deal with it.”

In response to Rekord’s enquiries, the Tshwane Metro confirmed that it is aware of the reported oil leaks at the Lynnwood Substation.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the site is inspected regularly.

“The city is aware, and visual inspection is conducted monthly and faults identified are scheduled for repairs,” Mashigo said.

He added that inspections are carried out every month and that faults are addressed accordingly.

According to Mashigo, identified faults are attended to immediately and major ones, like the oil leaks, are scheduled for repairs.

Mashigo said major maintenance work had previously been conducted on one of the transformers.

“Transformer R major maintenance was done in 2024. Old gaskets were replaced, the transformer was repainted, and the transformer and its equipment were tested.”

He added that similar maintenance work is planned for other transformers at the substation.

“The same maintenance will be done on transformers A, R and C as soon as resources are available.”

According to Mashigo, the work requires an external contractor, but the previous transformer maintenance tender has expired.

He said the metro is working on a new tender to appoint a service provider.

Mashigo added that oil leaks mainly result in soil contamination rather than posing an immediate fire or explosion risk.

“The oil just contaminates the soil and is not easy to pose a fire or explosion.”

He said repairs are expected to begin once the new maintenance tender is finalised.

“The repairs might commence in quarter four of this financial year when the transformer maintenance tender is finalised.”

Mashigo also confirmed that the Lynnwood Substation is located on municipal land designated for electricity infrastructure.

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