Fire at Waltloo substation causes power outages in Tshwane
Apr 2025Published 2 Oct 2026
Companies named in this entry: City of Tshwane
What happened
A fire broke out at the Waltloo Substation in Tshwane early on 24 April 2025. The City of Tshwane said the Waltloo Transformer 1B caught fire just after midnight, and that this led to power trips in the supply areas of the Rooiwal, Pyramid, Phumulani, Waltloo and Koedoespoort substations. Emergency services attended and extinguished the fire. The cause was not reported. Technicians were sent to assess the damage before repairs, and restoration times were not known.
Contributing factors
The cause of the fire was not reported.
Lessons learned
- A transformer fire at one substation can trip supply to several neighbouring substations, so operators should plan for a wide outage from a single site.
- Tell the public promptly which areas are off supply, and say when restoration times are not yet known.
- Assess damage and materials before committing to a repair time, and update customers as that assessment changes.
Source
Other entries that name Tshwane
Published 2026-10-02. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.