Fire-damaged Joburg M1 tunnel to scorch ratepayers with estimated R33-million repair bill

A preliminary investigation into a fire that engulfed M1 underground tunnels on the highway in Johannesburg just over a week ago has revealed that it will cost no less than R33-million to repair the bridge and support structures for electrical cables.

The fire on 30 April, resulted from theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure.

This cost of the repair was revealed by city officials on Wednesday at a technical media briefing,  a week after the incident which affected 450 metres of electrical cables, leaving several parts of the city in the dark.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Joburg residents still without power while teams assess city underbelly after tunnel fire 

Of the estimated R33-million, R10-million will go towards construction by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

“Our principal visual condition inspection, which includes lab testing to assess the bridge structure, with an estimate of R10-million we need to spend in the medium to long term,” City manager, Floyd Brink said.

Meanwhile, City Power’s group executive for service delivery centre operations, Charles Tlouane said damage to the electrical infrastructure would cost the entity around R23-million.

Inside the tunnels beneath the M1 highway bridge, where fire ravaged City Power’s electricity infrastructure, leading to extended power outages in Braamfontein, Newtown, and the Joburg CBD. (Photo: Johannesburg City Power)

“We had 11kv cables, telecommunications cables in that bridge. We had 88 oil-filled cables. So, we are replacing those by their own entirety. That work is going to cost around R23-million.”

City Power is currently being taken to court by Eskom over its escalating debt, sitting at R1.073-billion. In a recent statement the power utility said it had been left with no choice but to apply for a declaratory order to force City Power to pay what is due to Eskom.

“The debt owed by City Power has reached unprecedented levels, exacerbating Eskom’s already strained financial situation. The dire situation not only undermines Eskom’s financial sustainability but also threatens its ability to maintain essential infrastructure.”

Speaking to Daily Maverick, Tlouane would not be drawn into commenting about the debt. He however said, “I can confirm City Power is not in a financial crisis”.

The City of Johannesburg has since indicated it will oppose the Eskom application as it has no basis in facts and law.

In a counter-statement, the City argues that it is in fact owed R3.4-billion in overcharges over the years.

“Following multiple discussions regarding queries that have been lodged in connection with gross inaccurate billing on bulk purchase invoices. Eskom has opted to ignore those issues, and rushed to the courts.”

The fire beneath the M1 highway bridge stemmed from acts of vandalism and cable theft. (Photo: Johannesburg City Power)

Bridge structural damage 

Brink said although the M1 bridge was built between 1971-1972, an inspection and maintenance conducted in 2019, had rated the bridge in good condition and safe for use.

Following the fire incident, structural damage was detected by Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).

“Short-term interventions are underway to secure the falling concrete panel pieces of the bridge at Smit Street under the M1 section to prevent any further risks ensuring road user safety.

“This solution will include installation of steel strips along the falling concrete panel parts along the 500m affected span of the structure. Repairs are expected to be completed within two weeks and a contractor has been appointed on an emergency basis,” said Brink.

Financial strain

The City has faced several similar incidents including the July 2023  deadly explosion that killed 34-year-old Joseph Dumisane and injured 48 others. The explosion damaged a 700-metre stretch of Lilian Ngoyi Street, one of the busiest in the city’s CBD. A budget of R178-million was initially estimated for the refurbishment of Lilian Ngoyi Street. The amount later ballooned to R196-million. The road remains closed and is still under construction.

Read more in Daily Maverick: City announces R196m to rebuild Lilian Ngoyi Street in Joburg — six months on

Ratepayers will once again have to foot the bill for the M1 repairs. The city expressed concern at the high level of sabotage of its infrastructure amid tight fiscal pressures.

“It’s unfair towards the city if you look at what is happening because all of these issues are now just bringing financial strain on us as we have to reprioritise within our current constrained budget to be able to address these particular issues,” said Brink.

Power restoration

City officials are working to restore power after the Braamfontein substation was damaged during the cable theft and fire. Several areas including Braamfontein, Newtown, Parktown, and Johannesburg CBD were affected.

As of Thursday, power had been restored in some areas while the City Power was looking at diverting the affected areas to the Fort substation.

“There is a risk of overloading that substation. As such, customers are encouraged to use power sparingly and unplug non-essential appliances such as geysers, pool pumps, and stoves. Failure to do so may force us to embark on load rotation for the duration of the repairs at the M1 bridge.”

Tlouane estimated electricity repairs would be completed by 20 May, 2024 and revealed that a contractor has been appointed on an emergency basis.

Indefinite road closure

A section of the road will remain closed indefinitely, motorists and pedestrians have been urged to avoid Smit Street and the railway yard below the bridge and use alternative routes.

“The City of Johannesburg remains committed to prioritising public safety and minimising disruptions caused by road closures in the affected area. Drivers are therefore advised to use alternative routes to avoid congestion, and the public is urged to steer clear of the area beneath the M1 bridge on Smit Street and the Braamfontein Rail Yard until repairs are completed,” added Brink.

Other key highlights regarding the bridge include:

• “Fordsburg and Braamfontein Substations remained structurally intact;


• “Fordsburg Substation is operational, while Braamfontein Substation remains offline pending repairs;


• “City Power is pursuing two approaches to address the outage: replacing burnt cables (work in progress) and installing new interconnector cables between Fort and Braamfontein Substations; and


• “Insurance assessments have been completed, and the claim has been lodged,” said Brink. DM