Tshwane's substation fires raise concerns over safety and maintenance

Opposition parties in Tshwane have slammed the city administration for inadequate protection of substations after the Swartkop substation caught fire, leaving areas like Clubview, Valhalla, and Thaba Tshwane without power. 

The incident follows a similar explosion at the Brakfontein substation just a month ago, which also caused widespread power outages and frustration among residents.

The Zwartkop substation fire and explosion caused a trip of the Lyttelton Line 1 at Njala substation, impacting Wingate, Aries, and De Hoewes substations, leaving parts of Centurion and Pretoria East without power.

Freedom Front Plus councillor Lenor Janse van Rensburg said her party has repeatedly urged the metro to maintain and properly secure substations, but their requests have been ignored.

She commended the Tshwane Emergency Services Department and the Gauteng government for working tirelessly to bring the fire under control.

She said alongside the substation fire, two other power outages hit Pretoria on Monday night, which include a cut power cable in Doringkloof and vandalism at a mini substation on Pretorius Avenue.

Van Rensburg said: “The Freedom Front Plus has repeatedly requested that the metro not only maintain substations but also ensure they are properly secured. These requests have fallen on deaf ears.”

Former mayor and DA Tshwane caucus leader, Cilliers Brink, demanded that Tshwane disclose how many of its substations are equipped with surge and fire protection.

He said: “No substation is meant to burn down due to voltage surges, whether caused by lightning or cables being hacked off. A surge protection system, backed by battery power, shuts down the substation before a fire breaks out. This not only protects the electricity infrastructure, but also human life.”

Brink explained that if surge protection fails, the next line of defence is fire suppression, which can include systems like sprinklers, providing an additional layer of protection.

“This is what makes Tshwane's unusually high number of substation fires extremely suspicious,” he said.

As Tshwane mayor last year, following the Mooikloof substation fire, Brink commissioned an investigation into the cause of such fires. 

The probe included assessing surge protection systems at substations, reviewing payments to service providers responsible for repairing damaged substations, and determining why a tender for surge protection system installation and repair had not been established.

Municipal spokesperson Selby Bokaba said on Wednesday that the Zwartkop substation remained off-line while the city's technicians continued with repairs to the damaged site.

He said: “The team’s assessment report has revealed that the substation suffered extensive vandalism, resulting in major damage to the 630 mm High Tension (HT) cables and control cables that now need to be replaced. These control cables are essential for the protection of the substation.”

Bokaba added that investigations revealed the Lyttelton/Kwagga Overhead Line 1 was also damaged in the Zwartkop substation fire, and the sub-transmission team is currently disconnecting the line.

According to him, overnight work showed promising results, with transformer 2B testing positive and ready for use. 

The next step, he said, will be to replace the stolen single-core and multi-core cables for transformer 2B.

Bokaba appreciated the patience displayed by the affected customers, adding that the estimated time for restoration will be communicated once the bulk of the repair work has been completed. 

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za