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Grid infrastructureSouth AfricaEIR-1602

Eldoraigne substation fire disrupts power in Centurion areas

May 2024Published 29 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

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Plumes of smoke were seen over Eldoraigne substation in Centurion on a Saturday afternoon after a transformer caught fire. Firefighters attended and the blaze was extinguished. Power was restored to affected areas by 18:00 after repairs. The City reported extensive damage to cabling and control units, though the main transformers and panel rooms were not burnt. An alternative transformer on site was used to restore supply without overloading the system. Areas impacted included Wierdapark Ext 1, Celtisdal, Raslouw, Hennops Park and Eldoraigne.

The City stated that cable vandalism and theft to the control cable feeding the transformer was suspected as the cause, though this remained to be confirmed by investigation.

  1. Substations require robust physical security and monitoring of control cabling to deter vandalism and theft.
  2. Having an alternative transformer available on site can enable rapid load transfer and minimise outage duration.
  3. Prompt assessment of damage to cabling and control units supports faster restoration while avoiding overload on remaining equipment.

More lessons on theft, arson and site security, outages, backup supply and restoration, maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, from every incident on the register.

Published 2026-09-29. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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