Tshwane Emergency Services were kept busy on Tuesday night as a storm swept through the capital city, causing widespread damage. The storm resulted in damaged cars, destroyed shacks, and a fire at a substation caused by a lightning strike.
Incidents in Soshanguve and Garsfontein
Charles Mabaso, spokesperson for Tshwane Emergency Services, reported several incidents in Soshanguve. A shack fire was successfully extinguished, the roof of a house was blown away, and three shacks were completely destroyed by the storm.
In Garsfontein, a fire broke out at the Summit restaurant. Firefighters were still at the scene on Wednesday morning. The second floor of the building was damaged, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.
A fire in Kameeldrift affected multiple shacks. Authorities are currently assessing the extent of the damage.
Several incidents were reported on social media, including uprooted trees in Valhalla and Centurion.
Rooiwal Power Station Incident
The City of Tshwane reported that lightning struck a temporary pyramid substation at Rooiwal Power Station early on Wednesday morning, causing a fire that burned the transformer. The fire then spread to the high-tension yard but has since been contained, according to Themba Fosi, Tshwane MMC for Utilities.
Impact on Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant
The storm also affected the Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant, leading to water shortages in many parts of south and east Johannesburg. The storm caused a power trip at the plant. Attempts to restart the plant revealed faults along the overhead supply powerlines. This power failure resulted in a loss of 2 million litres of water per day, impacting all municipalities supplied by Zuikerbosch Water Treatment Plant.