Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Rudi Maartens and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng. See attached video here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mangaung is deeply concerned about the recent blackout in Bloemfontein, which left large parts of the northern areas without power from Saturday evening until after midnight on Monday. This incident has exposed deep vulnerabilities in our critical electricity infrastructure.
To make matters worse, hours after the ‘repairs’, an explosion at the Bayswater DC on 23 February 2026 at 21:25 plunged the northern suburbs back into darkness. Reports suggest that restoration time could range from 24 hours to several days.
Information gathered on site indicates that the failure originated at the 132kV level, where an ageing incoming breaker malfunctioned. The equipment was reportedly so old that external specialists had to be called in. During restoration attempts, concerns emerged around transformer oil levels.
In addition, certain loads could not be restored due to inadequately charged DC batteries. Reports also mentioned issues with the Neutral Earthing Resistor.
We acknowledge and appreciate the technicians who worked tirelessly to prevent further damage and restore the supply. However, the real issue is governance, maintenance discipline, and asset risk management. This is not a single fault, but a resilience failure across multiple layers of critical infrastructure.
This is a threat to businesses and essential services. Residents have also reported that repeated and sudden power outages are causing appliances to malfunction or break. As a result, food stored in refrigerators is spoiling. With the cost of living already so high, residents cannot afford to lose essential household appliances and groceries.
The Maselspoort Water Treatment Plant is also affected, which means residents may be left without both water and electricity for several hours, if not days. This prolonged disruption of essential services is completely unacceptable.
The DA demands answers from the Metro and Centlec on the following:
- What caused the explosion at the Bayswater DC?
- What is the estimated time of restoration of electricity?
- What contingency plan will be activated to mitigate the impact of the outage?
- How will residents be updated on progress and other information regarding the outage?
The DA will continue to push for:
- Publication of Centlec’s Critical Infrastructure Risk Register.
- The age profile and condition assessment of all 132kV breakers and transformers.
- The maintenance and testing regime for protection, control, and battery systems.
- A funded capital replacement programme for end-of-life primary substation equipment.
- A clear infrastructure resilience and risk mitigation plan.
Bloemfontein cannot afford reactive crisis management. We need proactive asset management, transparent risk reporting, and funded infrastructure renewal. Residents deserve infrastructure that prevents crises, not explanations after failure.