The City of Tshwane says the refurbishment of two major Pretoria East substations will strengthen electricity stability across the broader eastern grid, including interconnected areas such as Mamelodi, as officials roll out a citywide infrastructure oversight programme.
Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya, joined by Deputy Executive Mayor and MMC for Finance Cllr Eugene Modise and MMC for Utility Services Cllr Frans Boshielo, officiated at the handover of the refurbished Mooikloof and Wapadrand substations on Thursday, 14 May 2026.
The visit formed part of the City’s Electricity Stabilisation Plan and the Multiparty Coalition Government’s Capital Expenditure (CapEx) Oversight Programme, which seeks to verify progress on major infrastructure projects that are more than 80% complete and ready for public use.
Although the Mooikloof and Wapadrand substations directly supply areas including Silver Lakes, Faerie Glen, Lombardy, Woodhill and Moreleta Park, officials emphasised that the upgrades strengthen Tshwane’s interconnected eastern electricity network.
Tshwane’s grid operates as a meshed system, meaning substations support one another through load transfers during peak demand or fault conditions. When large backbone substations operate below capacity, pressure shifts to other parts of the network, increasing the risk of overloads and cascading outages.
Officials said restoring full capacity at Mooikloof and Wapadrand improves redundancy and reduces strain across the eastern corridor, a region that includes Mamelodi within the broader municipal electricity network.
For residents who have experienced recurring outages and supply instability, the City maintains that stabilising high‑capacity backbone infrastructure is a critical step toward improving overall grid reliability.
Both Wapadrand and Mooikloof substations suffered significant fire damage in recent years, limiting their operational capacity.
The most recent major fire at Wapadrand occurred on 21 July 2021, while Mooikloof was severely damaged by fire on 1 December 2021. The incidents reduced available capacity and constrained supply flexibility in Pretoria East.
Refurbishment work began in January 2021 to restore functionality, modernise equipment and future‑proof the infrastructure.
Mooikloof Substation, a 132/11kV primary facility, has been restored to approximately 105MVA unfirm capacity. The R70.3 million (excluding VAT) project is fully complete and operational.
Wapadrand Substation has also been restored to its original 105 MVA capacity after operating at approximately 70 MVA due to fire-related damage. The R117 million (excluding VAT) project is about 93% expenditure complete, with final commissioning processes underway.
Restoring Wapadrand alone unlocked an additional 35MVA of capacity, enabling future residential and commercial development in the eastern growth corridor.
Each substation supplies electricity to roughly 7 000 households, as well as commercial and healthcare facilities.
Both facilities were upgraded with new 11kV switchgear, 132kV control panels, modern protection systems and SCADA-enabled communication infrastructure.
These improvements enable real-time monitoring, faster fault detection, and improved load management between substations. Officials said the modernised configuration enables controlled load transfers during outages, reducing the likelihood of widespread supply interruptions.
Mayor Moya described the handover as a “joyous day” for the City, saying the completion of the substations demonstrates that critical infrastructure projects can be delivered despite challenges.
“We welcome what we see, and we urge officials to continue improving performance so that residents receive the services they pay for,” she said. “Despite the challenges, these stations are now complete, and we can move on to the next substations.”
She added that while security measures have been strengthened to protect the substations from external criminal activity, vigilance is also required to guard against internal threats.
Deputy Executive Mayor Modise described the substations as state‑of‑the‑art facilities that must be safeguarded, and said the City reprioritised budgets to ensure the projects are completed. He noted that security measures have been enhanced to prevent unauthorised access.
Responding to remarks by Ward Councillor Jacqui Uys that the project followed persistent appeals from the community, the Head of the Energy and Electricity Business Unit, Dr Ndivho Lukwareni, acknowledged that commissioning infrastructure of this scale can naturally present initial technical challenges. He said issues previously experienced during commissioning have been resolved and that the system is now stable.
