Double whammy as substation fire delivers flood-hit Tshwane another blow

Tshwane has announced that load-shedding will not be implemented on Tuesday, but this does not mean the lights are on.

The Pretoria CBD and a large part of north-western Pretoria were hit by a power outage in the early hours of Tuesday morning due to a fire at the Kwagga substation.

Affected areas include Rosslyn, Atteridgeville, Laudium, Sunnyside, Parktown, Mayville, Wonderboom, Sinoville, Bon Accord, Magalieskruin, Soshanguve and Pretoria North, the city said.

Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Charles Mabaso said the fire broke out about 3am and firefighters were dispatched to the area about 3.30am.

He said containing the blaze had been complicated due to oil leaking from the substation. Mabaso said firefighters used foam to suppress the fire.

The damage is estimated at between R150,000 and R180,000, according to a community page.

On Tuesday, the city said it had  restored power supply to about 70% of affected customers in the Raslouw/Monavoni area. 

“Two medium voltage faults were repaired and energised yesterday. Upon energisation of the network, part of the mini-substation couldn't be switched on due to further identified faults on the network. Our team of technicians is currently isolating the faults so we can start with repairs immediately. With the progress made yesterday, we are positive power will be fully restored to all customers in the area today,” said the member of the mayoral committee for utility services, Abel Tau.

The estimated time of restoration in the Raslouw/Monavoni area will be determined only after the process to isolate the faults has been completed.

Meanwhile, there are new outages that affect a number of wards across the city, which emerged during and after stage 6 load-shedding, the city said.

Cable faults, load-shedding and waterlogging due to persistent rain are all hampering repair efforts. 

On Sunday, the city said wet weather and load-shedding were hampering its efforts to restore power in Monavoni, Raslouw, Erasmia, Eldoraigne, Kosmosdal and Louwlardia.

“Repair sites are waterlogged from rising groundwater during excavations, making it difficult for cable repairs to be fast-tracked, despite covers/shelters being set up," the city said. “For safety reasons, no artisan is allowed to work on a network that is out during load-shedding. We understand residents’ frustrations and apologise sincerely for the inconvenience they are experiencing. Our teams are making every effort, under trying circumstances, to restore power.”

On Saturday, the city told Soshanguve residents who were without power that this was due to a cable fault after load-shedding. It said teams were busy with repairs, but the rain was hampering their progress.