Power fully restored to Joburg suburbs following fire at Eikenhof substation
Johannesburg City Power says power has been fully restored to the suburbs that were cut off after the Eikenhof substation caught fire on Monday.
The transformer caught alight on Monday afternoon‚ plunging many parts of Johannesburg into darkness. According to City Power‚ tests on the two transformers supplying electricity to residents and Rand Water were completed on Tuesday night and they are now able to provide full electricity supply to all the suburbs affected by the fire.
"The damage to the infrastructure was so severe that it would have taken at least 72 hours to fix it and restore power to the residents. But the dedication and hard work of the engineers and technicians who worked tirelessly around the clock ensured that 32 hours later power was restored. We thank them for putting everything into to this operation to ensure our customers get electricity as soon as possible‚" said Lerato Setshedi‚ City Power’s chief executive.
“City Power will continue to work to bring back other two transformers to ensure we have backup supply options to the substation.”
The entity said it will on Wednesday be reconnecting overhead lines that were severely damaged during the fire‚ and put up a new transformer to replace the one that was completely gutted.
All this would not interrupt power supply to consumers‚ businesses or Rand Water‚ City Power said.
“As expected it will take a little while for water reservoirs to fill up to ensure full supply of water to the residents affected. This is due to the fact that the reservoirs were completely empty and need to fill up first and pack up pressure before everyone can have full supply of water. We urge residents to bear with us on this one‚” Setshedi said.
She said City Power is finalising its investigation into the cause of the fire and the cost of repairs.
#EikenhofFire Power is now restored to all areas and water are being pumped to Joburg Reservoirs. Please be patient and as reservoirs are filling during the day Joburg Water will open them. It will take another 24 hours in some cases. @CityofJoburgZA @HermanMashaba
— Nico De Jager (@NicoDeJager64) August 29, 2018
On Tuesday‚ Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba tweeted that he was told that the cause of the fire at the Eikenhof might have been sabotage.
"This afternoon‚ it was brought to my attention that City Power officials suspect that the cause of the fire at Eikenhof substation on Monday may have been the result of a deliberate act of sabotage‚” Mashaba said.
He said the City is offering R100,000 to anyone who has information on the alleged perpetrators.
Someone must have seen or have knowledge of those behind this criminal act. The city is offering a Reward of R100 000.00 for the successful arrest. Please call this number with details: 081 462 2939 https://t.co/bzUYIrxLj3
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) August 28, 2018
This afternoon, it was brought to my attention that City Power officials suspect that the cause of the fire at Eikenhof substation on Monday may have been the result of a deliberate act of sabotage. pic.twitter.com/okDzTyHlBw
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) August 28, 2018
I'll be ensuring the City, working with law enforcement agencies & the NPA, bring the perpetrators of this act to justice in the harshest possible manner. When key infrastructure of this nature is vandalised, it's a crime against the people of our City, our economy & our security
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) August 28, 2018