City Power uncovers suspected cable theft after Central Substation fire

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City Power technical teams have uncovered evidence of infrastructure tampering, vandalism and suspected cable theft inside the underground tunnels at Central Substation in Johannesburg following a fire that broke out at about 04:00 on Saturday.

The fire damaged critical electricity infrastructure, including a feederboard and associated cables, leaving customers in Marshalltown and surrounding parts of the Johannesburg CBD without power.

When technical teams entered the affected tunnels on Sunday after receiving clearance from Emergency Services, they discovered an axe, a jigsaw and other equipment commonly associated with cable theft.

Most of the equipment was found beneath the damaged feederboard, where technicians also identified evidence of attempts to cut copper cables connected to the equipment.

City Power said preliminary observations suggest the suspected tampering may have triggered an explosion and the subsequent fire.

A person suspected of being involved in the incident was badly burnt and remains in a critical condition in hospital under police guard.

Following the discovery, City Power withdrew its teams from the affected section to allow law enforcement authorities to secure the scene, collect evidence and investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.

City Power believes more than one person may have been involved and said investigations are continuing into possible organised criminal activity targeting the city's underground electricity network.

Law enforcement authorities are expected to complete their evidence collection and release the site later on Sunday.

Once the site is released, City Power teams will resume work, including a detailed assessment of the damaged feederboard and cables, rubble removal, clean-up operations and determining the materials and equipment needed for repairs.

Technical teams are also exploring alternative electricity supply points to determine whether some affected customers can be restored while major repairs are being prepared.

An estimated restoration time is not yet available as the full extent of the damage remains unclear.