More than 2 500 police personnel have been evacuated following the explosion of the Pretoria gas pipeline

An explosion at a Sasol gas pipeline near the SAPS Training Academy in Pretoria has resulted in the evacuation of more than 2 500 police personnel and officers.

On Wednesday morning, more than 2 500 police trainees, along with officers from specialised units, including the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJoints), were evacuated from the South African Police Service (SAPS) Training Academy in Tshwane following a gas pipeline explosion at a nearby business premises.

The explosion sparked a fire near one of the academy’s entrances, prompting the evacuation.

National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said the safety of police trainees and members was a priority and the evacuation was a precautionary measure.

“The decision to evacuate the trainees, SAPS trainers and members of various specialised units including the Natjoints Coordination Centre (NCC) was taken following advice and consultation from experts.

“Several experts are on site to contain the fire at the adjacent business premises. It should be noted that the training academy is not affected and the evacuation process is a precautionary measure by management.”

An operational centre, led by the Deputy National Commissioner of Policing, Tebello Mosikili, was established to manage the situation. By Wednesday afternoon, the fire had burned out.

Tshwane emergency services spokesperson Lindsay Zwelithini Mnguni said they received a call at 11.48am and dispatched units to investigate.

“We received a call of a fire, it was not reported to us as an explosion. Upon arrival, the district commander then claimed it was a pipeline leaking and burning and she asked for more units to come and support,” he said.

Sasol, the gas supplier, closed the valves in the gas pipe.

“The investigation will begin soon and the site is isolated just to be safe, but at this stage we don’t know the cause yet,” Sasol spokesman Alex Anderson said.

Mnguni said, “It’s natural gas, so if we extinguish it, we won’t be able to monitor it and it’s going to create more danger for the people around here. We had to keep the fire burning and Sasol arrived to turn off the valves so that there was no more supply to the pipe.”

Mnguni said no injuries were reported. An evacuation radius of 500 m was introduced, and a joint operations order involving the police, emergency services and other stakeholders oversaw the situation.

This incident follows a similar explosion on Lilian Ngoyi Street (formerly Bree Street) in Johannesburg in July 2023. A gas explosion caused significant damage and disruption in the area, highlighting concerns about gas infrastructure safety and emergency response. DM