Voltage transformer explosion at Njala Substation causes outages

Feb 2025Published 1 Oct 2026

SignificantElectricalProvisionalNext update 1 Oct

Companies named in this entry: City of Tshwane

What happened

The City of Tshwane said that on 18 February 2025 a voltage transformer exploded at the Njala Substation in Pretoria, and that a fire followed. The city reported a 132kV outage affecting multiple substations and areas, mostly in the east of Pretoria, and said technicians and emergency services had been sent to put out the fire, assess damage and investigate. The cause, the extent of damage and how long power was off are not stated in this short report.

Contributing factors

Not reported. The city said technicians had been sent to investigate.

Lessons learned

A failure at a 132kV substation can interrupt supply at several downstream substations, so contingency plans should cover that spread.
Early public updates on the areas affected, and prompt dispatch of technical and emergency crews, help customers and the response.
Do not treat the failed component as the root cause until the investigation is reported.

Source

thesouthafrican.com

Published 2026-10-01. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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