About BoreholeZA
BoreholeZA is an independent online directory and guide to borehole drilling in South Africa. We do not drill, install or inspect boreholes.
Last reviewed . Content reviewed with sources on that date.
Why this site exists
More South Africans are weighing up a borehole, and the figures and rules are scattered across many sources. We collect them in one place, give the source for each figure, say plainly when we could not find one, and list drilling companies from public information so you have somewhere to start.
What BoreholeZA is, and is not
- An online directory of borehole drilling companies, built from public information.
- A set of guides on prices, permits, water quality, pumps and maintenance, with sources.
- A quote request form. If you fill it in and agree, your request is passed to listed drilling companies in your area so they can quote.
- Not a drilling company. We do not drill, install, test or inspect boreholes, and we do not verify, license or endorse the companies listed.
How the listings are made
The 169 companies listed across 9 provinces come from public Google business listings and company websites that we checked. We started from 273 entries and removed 104, for example where the website no longer loads, never mentions boreholes, or there was no way to contact the company.
We have not inspected any company or checked its registration, insurance or workmanship. Drilling companies are not licensed by government at present, so a listing is not proof of standing. Ratings are Google's, captured in early 2026, and on city and province pages listings are sorted by rating weighted by number of reviews. Check any company yourself before you hire, and use our questions to ask.
Because the listings were built from public information, some details will be wrong or out of date. A company can ask us to correct or remove its listing.
How the quote form works
When you send a request and tick the consent box, we pass your request and contact details to drilling companies listed in your area. Each company sets its own prices and decides whether and when to reply, so we cannot promise how many will respond or how quickly. Your contract is with the company you choose, not with us. Read the privacy policy and the POPIA notice for how your details are handled.
Listing is free for companies. Drilling companies may pay us for introductions or advertising, and we say so here so you can weigh the lists and guides accordingly. Companies that want to receive requests regularly can read how that works.
Where the numbers and rules come from
Prices come from published price guides, geology from the Department of Water and Sanitation and the British Geological Survey, and permit rules from municipal and national sources. Pages show a review date and list their sources, and they say when we could not find one. Rules, prices and ratings change, and we are not your lawyer or hydrogeologist, so treat the pages as a starting point. See the pricing guide, the permits guide and the water quality guide.
Coverage
Listings cover 9 provinces, but the depth varies. We have written city guides for 10 cities, and some provinces have only a handful of listed companies. If your town is not covered, the province pages show who is listed near you.
Who runs BoreholeZA
BoreholeZA is an independent, privately owned South African website. The owner is the responsible party under POPIA and the accountable editor for everything published here. We do not name individual staff on the pages, and no company, driller or supplier writes or pays for the guides. To reach the owner or the information officer, use the contact form.
Drilling companies may pay us for introductions or advertising. Payment never changes a company's place in the listings, which follow Google rating weighted by review count.
How we write and correct
- Sources are ranked: legislation, gazette notices and municipal text first, then government and academic research, then supplier price lists and trade guides. Each page lists what it used.
- Prices are published ranges from South African suppliers and drilling companies, shown with their dates. They are market indications, not quotes.
- "Last reviewed" means every figure on the page was re-checked against its source on that date. Where we could not confirm something, the page says so.
- Content is researched with AI assistance and traced to the sources cited on each page, which were re-opened where possible. No hydrogeologist, lawyer or doctor has reviewed these pages, so treat them as informed guidance and confirm what matters. Tell us about an error through the contact form and we will correct it and note the change here.
Get in touch
Found a mistake, or run a drilling company and want to know how listings work?