Fires at Fordsburg substation and Central substation in Johannesburg
Sept 2026Published 9 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
- Where
- Fordsburg substation and Central substation, Johannesburg
- Operator
- City Power
- What
- Fires at two substations cut power to communities and businesses
- Injuries
- None reported
- Cause
- Under investigation
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Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): City Power
What happened
City Power reported fires at Fordsburg substation and Central substation within about a two week period, cutting power to surrounding communities and businesses in Johannesburg. At the first substation, around 90 percent of affected residents had power restored almost immediately, while the remaining 10 percent were without electricity for about nine days. A second substation fire, at one of 19 substations in the inner city, affected further residential and commercial customers, and no restoration timeline was given because the site had to be cleared before investigators could assess the damage.
The utility stated that most cable joint faults would result in a 'pop' that can be repaired, and that the equipment should not catch fire, leading it to suspect that foul play may have been involved. Investigations were continuing at the time of reporting and the utility said tampering could not be ruled out. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Contributing factors
The utility noted that some of its infrastructure and cable joints are ageing and susceptible to damage, while also stating that some of the damage observed pointed to possible tampering. No cause had been confirmed at the time of reporting.
Lessons learned
- Substation cable joints that should only produce a pop must be checked for signs of tampering when fire occurs instead.
- Ageing substation infrastructure needs targeted inspection where damage patterns suggest possible interference beyond normal wear.
- Clearance procedures at fire damaged substations must allow rapid investigator access to avoid extended outages.
More lessons on electrical protection and isolation, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.
Not yet known
- Exact cause of each fire
- Age and model of affected equipment
- Duration of second outage
- Cost of damage and repairs
This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.
Source
Other entries that name Fordsburg
Published 2026-09-09. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
