News24 | Large parts of Tshwane without power after explosion, fire at substation

An explosion and subsequent fire at the Waltloo substation have resulted in widespread power outages, the City of Tshwane says.

Screengrab via City of Tshwane/X

• An explosion at Tshwane’s Waltloo substation on Tuesday evening plunged vast parts of the city into darkness.
• The City said it could not say when power would be restored.
• Utility Services MMC Samuel Molatelo Mashola visited the site and assured residents that technical teams were working hard to fix the issue.

Vast swathes of Tshwane were experiencing power outages on Wednesday due to an explosion at the Waltloo substation. This major electricity supply point feeds several substations in the city.

While it works to fix the issue, the City does not know when the electricity will be restored.

In a statement on Wednesday, Utility Services MMC Samuel Molatelo Mashola said he had personally visited the substation to speak with the electricity and energy technical teams.

He added that the explosion had caused a “significant power interruption” across parts of Tshwane.

“Our immediate priority is the safe restoration of electricity to affected households, businesses and essential services,” Mashola stated.

Areas affected by the outage include Waltloo, Wingate, Heatherley, Mooikloof, Wapadrand, Scientia, Highlands, Willows, Lynnwood, Villieria, Koedoespoort, Pumulani, Pyramid, Mamelodi 1, 2 and 3, and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

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The explosion occurred on Tuesday evening, and crews, including the Tshwane Emergency Services Department, with firefighters from the Mamelodi and Silverton fire stations, were deployed to contain the fire and secure the site.

The City’s electrical teams also responded on Tuesday to assess the extent of the damage to the network. They were still determining the extent of the damage on Wednesday morning.

“Our electricity and energy teams are on site and will conduct a full assessment of the damaged infrastructure as soon as the area is declared safe,” Mashola said.

“At this stage, we do not yet have a confirmed restoration time and do not want to provide residents with an estimate before our teams have established what work is required.”

He said that the cause of the explosion and consequent fire had not yet been established and would be investigated.

“We understand the significant disruption that an electricity interruption of this scale causes to households, businesses and essential services,” Mashola said, adding that the teams on the ground were working with urgency to restore the site as quickly as possible.

He urged residents to remain clear of the Waltloo substation while emergency and technical teams continued their work.

“Residents should treat all electrical infrastructure as live and keep appliances unplugged until the electricity supply has been safely restored.”