‘Positive progress’ in Zwartkop substation repairs
The City of Tshwane says the Zwartkop substation, which caught fire on Tuesday morning, remains off the grid as the city’s team of technicians continues to repair the damaged site.
An explosion at the substation damaged electrical cables and plunged parts of Centurion and Pretoria East into darkness.
City spokesperson Selby Bokaba has pinned the blame for the explosion on vandalism.
"The team’s assessment report has revealed that the substation suffered extensive vandalism, resulting in major damage to the 630mm High Tension (cables and control cables that now need to be replaced,” he said.
"These control cables are essential for the protection of the substation. Investigations have also revealed that the Lyttelton/Kwagga Overhead Line 1 was also damaged by the fire at the Zwartkop substation. The sub-transmission team is busy disconnecting the line."
Bokaba adds that overnight work points to a positive prognosis, leading to a positive test for transformer 2B, which is ready for use.
"The next step will be the replacement of transformer 2 B's stolen single cores and multicores. The estimated time for restoration will be communicated once the bulk of the repair work has been completed."
The fire at Zwartkop Substation is a devastating blow to Region 4. Our teams are on site assessing the full extent of the damage. I’ve engaged both @CityTshwane officials and technical experts to prioritise restoring power safely and urgently. We will not rest until residents are… pic.twitter.com/k3xN6kl115
— Kholofelo Morodi (@kholofeloMorodi) May 20, 2025
