Fire at Thokoza substation Z7 causes power outage in Ekurhuleni

A fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday, 24 September 2025, at the Thokoza substation Z7, operated by the City of Ekurhuleni. Emergency services responded and extinguished the fire. The incident caused a power supply interruption affecting residential and industrial customers in Thokoza North, Hostels, Mpilisweni and part of Alrode. City technicians were reported to be working around the clock to conduct repairs. At the time of the report, an estimated restoration time had not been established and investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing. Customers were urged to treat the electrical network as live while repair work continued.

Not reported. The cause of the fire was under investigation at the time of publication.

1. Substation fires can cause extended, unplanned outages affecting both residential and industrial customers, highlighting the need for resilient network redundancy.
2. Clear public communication about live network hazards during repair work is important to prevent injuries to the public.
3. Timely emergency service response can limit fire damage and reduce restoration time, underscoring the value of coordinated incident response protocols between utilities and emergency services.

ekurhuleni.gov.za/press-releases/top-news/parts-of-thokoza-without-power-d...