The substation caught on fire on Wednesday and firefighters were called in to stabilise the situation.

CAPE TOWN - City Power says there’s a total shutdown at the Allandale substation near Tembisa due to an oil leak.

The substation caught on fire on Wednesday and firefighters were called in to stabilise the situation.

Areas including Midrand, Rabie Ridge, Mayibuye and Commercial Extension 9 were left in the dark for several hours.

Residents in these areas have been dealt a double blow with planned and unplanned power cuts due to the blaze.

Stage 4 load shedding implemented is currently in place and is expected to last until 11 pm tonight.

City powers spokesperson Isaac Magena said technicians and investigators were on scene to determine the cause of the fire.

“There is a total shut down of the station after Eskom technicians detected an oil leak on the new substation that was commissioned. This is a precautionary measure to avoid a potential disaster due to the oil leak.”

(Edited by Shimoney Regter)