WATCH: ZETDC Boss Explains What Caused Highfield Substation Fire

WATCH: ZETDC Boss Explains What Caused Highfield Substation Fire

Acting Managing Director of the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), Engineer Abel Gurupira, has shared what caused the fire that gutted the Highfield Substation on Sunday night.

The fire has left several areas, including Willowvale, Beatrice, Workington, and Glen Norah, without power.

Here’s What Caused the Highfield Substation Fire

Engineer Gurupira said the fire was triggered by a cable fault that got worse over time. He explained that an 11kv cable developed a problem a few days ago and was fixed by ZETDC. But shortly after repairs, the same cable developed another fault, which then spread to a transformer, causing it to catch fire.

“One of the cables that feeds these clients at 11kv faulted some time back, about three, four days before. This cable was repaired, and on successful repairing, as we tried to restore supplies to the rest of the clientele, there was another fault on the very same cable that occurred. Unfortunately, this fault then went all the way to the transformer, and the transformer caught fire. That’s precisely what caused the fire outbreak that we have seen on various platforms,” he explained.

Also read: Energy Minister July Moyo Updates on Hwange and Highfield Repairs: Here’s When Electricity Will Be Restored

Backup Plan Saves the Day

Despite the damage, Gurupira said the system was built with backup capacity. While one of the substation’s transformers was destroyed, the second transformer remains in good condition. ZETDC expects to restore power to affected areas by Wednesday, 7 May.

“The good news is, we have our network in such a way that there’s some redundancy. Rather than one transformer, we have two transformers at that station. So, it’s only one transformer that got burnt down completely. The other one is healthy, and we are hoping that by tomorrow we will have restored that one,” he added.

Temporary Power Sources for Some Areas

Gurupira added that ZETDC is already supplying temporary power to some areas using other substations. Workington is being powered from the Kambuzuma substation, while Willowvale is receiving electricity from Parkridge.

“Again, we have other stations that are fed at 132kv to 33. 33kv lines that go to these stations, then enable us to backfeed the other clients that would ordinarily would have been fed from this particular station,” he explained.

Watch the video below:

Update from the ZETDC Managing Director (A), Engineer Abel Gurupira, at Highfield Substation with insights into the cause of the recent fire. #HighfieldFaultUpdate pic.twitter.com/U5o05JRW7g

— ZETDC (@ZetdcOfficial) May 5, 2025