×

We've got news for you.

Register on SowetanLIVE at no cost to receive newsletters, read exclusive articles & more.
Register now

Dry and powerless Good Friday for some in Jo’burg

City Power teams are assessing the extent of damage caused by a fire at the Eldorado Park substation.
City Power teams are assessing the extent of damage caused by a fire at the Eldorado Park substation.
Image: Twitter: @CityPowerJhb

Some areas in Johannesburg are without power and water after a fire gutted the Eldorado Park substation on Friday morning.

Johannesburg Water confirmed power outages due to the fire have affected its infrastructure and could lead to water outages.

Residents in areas including Sophiatown, Westdene, Coronationville and some parts of Melville have been without water for nearly four days.

Ward councillor Genevieve Sherman said residents were frustrated.

“We’ve arranged water tankers but residents are tired and need answers and a permanent solution because the issue has been going on for almost a year,” Sherman said.

She said ward councillors from affected communities have asked for an urgent meeting with Johannesburg Water and environment and infrastructure services MEC Michael Sun to get to the bottom of what is happening and come up with a permanent solution for residents. 

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said teams have started the assessment of the extent of the damage from the fire.

“The assessment will include an investigation into the cause of the fire and the costs,” Mangena said.

He said the team has completed the plan of the work that needs to be done, has engaged contractors and ordered material needed to repair the substation.

He said the fire damaged one transformer. A second one had been affected by the heat and will be tested. The control room has also been badly damaged.

“Specialised equipment and a cleaning company have been deployed to make it easier for the team to assess equipment damage and start repairs,” Mangena said. 

He said substations that tripped upstream due to the fire include Orlando, Fordsburg, Pennyville, Mayfair, Mondeor, Nirvana, Nancefield, and Eikenhof.

Mangena said all the substations have been restored except Nancefield and Nirvana,“ which we hope to restore later today after cleaning the transmission lines affected by carbon smoke”.

“The estimated repair time for the Eldorado Park substation can only be determined after assessment of the extent of the damage. City Power will continue to provide updates every two hours and when new information becomes available.”

TimesLIVE


Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.