City Power dismisses transformer blast in Joburg CBD building collapse

City Power dismisses transformer blast in Joburg CBD building collapse

A frightening Monday morning in New Doornfontein left parts of a Johannesburg CBD building in ruins, three people hospitalised with severe burns, and a city once again asking hard questions about safety in its ageing inner city.

But amid early confusion and speculation, City Power has firmly ruled out a transformer explosion as the cause of the collapse.

Building collapse!
Apparently due to a generator and gas explosion.
Doornfontein JHB. @GTP_Traffstats @CityofJoburgEMS @CityofJoburgZA @Abramjee pic.twitter.com/PVUmUSUkA0

FASDA (@FasdaProtect) February 2, 2026

What happened in New Doornfontein?

Emergency services were called out after sections of a building in the eastern CBD gave way, triggering a fire and chaos at street level. Three people suffered third-degree burns and were rushed to hospital. Thankfully, no fatalities were reported.

For residents and workers in the area, the incident was another unsettling reminder of how vulnerable many inner-city buildings have become, especially in zones packed with mixed-use properties, informal businesses and ageing infrastructure.

City Power: the transformer did not explode

Initial reports from the scene suggested a transformer housed in a small utility room may have exploded. By Monday afternoon, City Power teams were on site and telling a different story.

According to spokesperson Isaac Mangena, the transformer did exactly what it was designed to do: shut down to protect the wider electricity network.

There was no rupture, no oil spill and no evidence of an electrical blast. The damage to nearby buildings, City Power said, also does not match the typical pattern seen in transformer explosions.

In short: the transformer reacted to an explosion, it didn’t cause one.

Power outages and precautionary shutdowns

While electricity infrastructure wasn’t to blame, the incident still disrupted supply. Areas connected to the Siemert substation experienced outages on Monday evening as City Power isolated the affected zone.

Restoration, officials said, would happen in phases once safety checks were complete.

Emergency services contain the scene

Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku, who visited the site, confirmed the fire had been fully extinguished and there was no ongoing danger to the public.

The building owner has since taken responsibility for securing the site, while structural engineers and the Department of Labour continue probing what caused the blast that triggered the collapse.

A familiar worry for Joburg residents

On social media, Joburgers voiced a mix of relief and frustration. Relief that the transformer wasn’t at fault frustration that yet another CBD building failure raises questions about maintenance, compliance and enforcement.

New Doornfontein, like much of the inner city, sits at the crossroads of regeneration and neglect. Fires, collapses and unsafe structures have become grimly familiar headlines, often long after warnings were raised.

What comes next?

For now, the focus is on the investigation. City Power has promised updates as more information becomes available, while engineers work to pinpoint the true source of the explosion.

What’s clear is this: the electricity network isn’t to blame, but the incident has once again exposed how urgently Johannesburg needs answers and action, when it comes to inner-city building safety.

{Source: The Citizen}

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