A fire at the Olievenhoutbosch Primary Substation in Centurion early on Wednesday has triggered a power outage affecting several surrounding communities just a day before Christmas.
Emergency services said they were responding to “a fire at the Olievenhoutbosch Primary Substation in Centurion” and warned that “residents in surrounding areas may experience power outages and are urged to remain cautious and avoid the area while responders work to contain the situation.”
Further updates will be issued once the blaze is under control.
The substation, which feeds parts of Olievenhoutbosch and neighbouring suburbs in the broader Centurion area, went up in flames in the early hours of the morning.
By Wednesday morning, technicians and firefighters were still on site assessing the damage, and no restoration timeline had been confirmed.
The incident comes barely three weeks after City of Tshwane MMC for Utility and Services Mathews Molobela publicly assured residents that supply from the same substation was stable following earlier trips.
On 5 December he reported that “Transformer A and R tripped at Olivenhoutbosch substation,” listing Noordwes, Rua Vista and parts of Amberfield among the affected areas, before issuing an 11:32 update stating simply:
“Power supply has been restored.”
Wednesday’s fire now raises questions about the resilience of the installation and the risk of further disruptions during the peak holiday period.
With Christmas Day gatherings planned for Thursday, households and small businesses are bracing for the possibility of spending part of the day without electricity if repairs take longer than expected.
Areas most likely to be affected include Olievenhoutbosch itself, Noordwes, Rua Vista and parts of Amberfield, along with any other neighbourhoods tied into the Olievenhoutbosch Primary Substation’s local distribution network.
Residents in these communities have been advised to monitor official City of Tshwane channels for restoration updates, make contingency plans for food storage and cooking, and treat all electrical infrastructure near the fire scene as unsafe until authorities declare it secure.
