Fire at Vodacom’s Cape Town offices

The Vodacom building at Century City caught alight on Sunday, with firefighters from Cape Town’s fire and rescue department bringing it under control.

Vodacom has said the incident will not have an impact on its regional and national network.

“This incident is the latest of such fires being caused by alternative energy installations, as those in the corporate and residential sectors battle to mitigate the effects of large-scale rolling blackouts,” safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said.

“It is highly recommended that those who have already had such alternative solutions installed have their systems regularly inspected for signs of electrical fatigue or mechanical breakdown.

“Additional preventive measures and electrical fail-safe components, while perhaps increasing the initial installation cost, should be considered.”

Cabling of a thicker diameter should be used to allow less resistance and help prevent a build-up of heat, he recommended.

“The maximum ratings of components, including that of inverters, batteries, solar panels and all connecting components should be carefully considered. All components within the system must be measured and calculated as part of a holistic solution, and not exceed the maximum ratings of any other component within the solution.”

Vodacom spokesperson Byron Kennedy said not many people were in the building given that the fire occurred on a Sunday, but said it was evacuated for safety reasons. He said Vodacom was not aware of any injuries.

With Garth Theunissen 

Update: July 9 2023
This article has been updated with Vodacom's comment.

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