Large parts of Bloemfontein’s northern suburbs remain without electricity following a transformer explosion at the Bayswater distribution centre on Monday night, with residents warned that restoration could take days.
The blast occurred at approximately 21:15 on Monday, 23 February 2026, when one of the 132/33 kVa transformers failed, causing a fire and significant disruption to the electricity supply network. Emergency services responded swiftly, with the Mangaung fire brigade dispatched to extinguish the blaze.
According to Centlec acting spokesperson Tsheliso Leba, the 48-year-old transformer failed due to ageing infrastructure. “Plans are already in place to replace all ageing infrastructure in our area of operation, including the 48-year-old transformer that failed us last night,” Leba said.
Mangaung DA Cllr Maartens described the incident as exposing “deep vulnerabilities in the city’s critical electricity infrastructure,” noting that the failure originated at the 132 kV level where an ageing incoming breaker malfunctioned. “The equipment was reportedly so old that external specialists had to be called in,” she added.
The outage has affected multiple northern suburbs, including Bayswater, Dan Pienaar, Noordhoek, parts of Waverley, Heliconhoogte, Heuwelsig, Pentagon Park, Naval Hill, Westdene, Maselspoort, and the Bram Fischer Airport.
The power failure has also disrupted the water supply, as the Maselspoort Water Treatment Plant is affected. Mangaung metro has confirmed that water shedding is being experienced, meaning residents in affected areas may face both electricity and water outages for several hours or even days.
Centlec initially communicated an estimated restoration time of approximately 24 hours. However, officials have cautioned that timelines could change depending on the extent of the damage.
Centlec has assured the public that regular updates will be communicated as restoration efforts continue.
