Soweto towers

The Orlando coal power station was decommissioned in 1998, after serving Johannesburg for over half a century.
The plant’s two cooling towers are still a prominent landmark in Soweto. In 1938, the electricity reticulation for Orlando Township was completed; the following year, construction of the Orlando Power Station began.

Then the Second World War broke out, resulting in several shipping delays. When peace was restored in 1945, it soon became apparent that electricity demand would outpace pre-war levels, with the economy engaged in permanent war work. And so extensions to the Orlando Power Station were approved, including two more 30,000-kW turbo-alternators and four additional boilers. By early 1947, three generating sets had been installed, and contracts had been placed for a further two, together with all the necessary ancillary equipment. By 1955, the total capacity of the Power Station was 300 MW.

In 2006, 8 years after the power plant’s decommissioning, work began to transform the site into an entertainment and business centre. The Orlando Power Station collapsed in June 2014 due to excessive theft of structural steel. Four people were killed and six others injured. Today, Soweto’s twin towers are a touristic double attraction – one tower serving as an advertising billboard and the other housing the largest painting mural in South Africa. A colourful artistic reminder of South Africa’s industrial development and struggles.