Borehole Drilling in Rustenburg
What we could source about borehole drilling in Rustenburg: geology, typical depths, price guidance, permit rules and the drilling companies listed there from public information. It is a guide, not advice for your plot.
Last reviewed . Prices and depths are indications from the sources listed at the foot of the page.
Borehole drilling costs in Rustenburg
Indicative project price
Ask local drillers for quotes
The price guide does not list Rustenburg and we found no other published price source. Its city rows run from R290 to R750 per metre, but none is in North West. Ask local drillers for written quotes.
Typical drilling depth
No figure in the sources below
The price guide does not list Rustenburg and we found no other published depth source. The British Geological Survey says water-bearing features in intrusive igneous rocks are best developed in the uppermost few tens of metres, but your driller sets the depth from the survey.
Water level
No published figure
We found no published per-city figure. The DWS National Groundwater Archive holds borehole water-level records (free registration on the DWS website), but we have not extracted city figures. Depth to water varies within a single suburb, so ask for the survey's expected water level. Mine dewatering has already lowered groundwater in parts of the area (see geology).
Listed companies
2
From public information, none verified by us.
Depths and water levels here are indicative ranges from regional geology and published guides, not predictions for your plot. They vary widely within a suburb and with season and pumping. Only a site survey and the driller's log can tell you what your plot will give, and a borehole can be dry.
Prices come from published price guides, not from quotes. The main guide does not say whether its per-metre rates include casing, VAT or mobilisation, and a fully equipped system (pump, tank and installation) costs more than a drilled and cased hole. Ask for written quotes that say what is included.
Borehole drilling companies in Rustenburg (2)
These companies come from public Google business listings and company websites that we checked. We have not inspected, verified or endorsed any of them, and a listing says nothing about their registration, insurance or workmanship. Check the company yourself before you hire. Ratings are Google ratings, early 2026, and the list is sorted by rating weighted by number of reviews.
Geology and drilling conditions in Rustenburg
Rustenburg lies on the Bushveld Complex, an igneous intrusion. Groundwater occurs in a weathered zone and in fractured bedrock, so yields vary from site to site. Dolomite is not the typical rock here: the DWS brochure describes dolomite outliers enclosed by the Bushveld Complex and dolomite further west around Lichtenburg and Mahikeng. The Kroonstad/Marikana control area east of Rustenburg was proclaimed after platinum and chrome mine dewatering reduced groundwater, so mining can already have lowered levels in parts of the area. A dry or low-yield borehole is a real risk.
This is a regional picture. Which rock your plot is on, and what it will yield, only a site survey and test drilling can show.
Borehole water quality in Rustenburg
The British Geological Survey says groundwater in intrusive igneous rocks, which include the Bushveld Complex, is often affected by elevated fluoride. A 2000 paper describes a band of high-nitrate groundwater through North West, and mining can affect quality. Test fluoride and nitrate first, then E. coli, total dissolved solids and sulphate.
SANS 241 tests to ask for first in North West
- Nitrate: 11 mg/L as N or less (acute health)
- Fluoride: 1.5 mg/L or less (chronic health)
- E. coli: not detected in 100 mL (acute health)
- Total dissolved solids: 1,200 mg/L or less (aesthetic)
- Sulphate: 500 mg/L (acute health) and 250 mg/L (aesthetic)
Whatever the province, the baseline checks are E. coli, nitrate, pH and total dissolved solids. Only a lab test tells you what your water holds.
Water quality guide · Is borehole water safe to drink? · Water filters and treatment
Borehole permits and rules in Rustenburg
Under the National Water Act, taking borehole water for reasonable domestic use on your own property is a Schedule 1 use: no water use licence and, according to DWS, no national registration. Other uses can fall under the General Authorisation or need a licence. Municipal by-laws still apply on top of this. We have not confirmed any Rustenburg Local Municipality borehole by-law, so ask the municipality before you drill. If your property is near mining activity, ask a hydrogeologist about groundwater quantity and quality first.
Rules change and we are not your lawyer. Check the municipality's current process before you drill.
Read the permits and regulations guide →Questions to ask before you hire
- 1Can I have a written quote that says what is included: siting survey, drilling per metre, casing, yield test, pump, tank, VAT and any minimum charge?
- 2What happens if the borehole is dry or yields very little? Is there a minimum charge, and is it in writing?
- 3Who does the siting survey, and is it a SACNASP-registered hydrogeologist or geophysicist?
- 4Can I speak to recent customers, and can I see a driller's log or completion report from a recent job?
- 5Does the company belong to the Borehole Water Association of Southern Africa, and does it follow SANS 10299 (design, construction and drilling of boreholes)?
- 6Will you do a yield test (test pumping), how long will it run, and will I get the results?
- 7How will you handle my municipality's rules, and do you submit borehole data to the DWS National Groundwater Archive?
- 8Which laboratory will test the water against SANS 241, and will the results come to me?
- 9Do you carry public liability insurance, and can you show proof? Is there a written guarantee on workmanship, and what does it cover?
Pump installation, water filtration and equipping are usually quoted separately from drilling.
Areas this page covers (Rustenburg Local Municipality)
Nearby places with their own rules
These places are in other municipalities with different rock and different rules.
Borehole drilling in other cities
Borehole drilling Johannesburg
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Borehole drilling Cape Town
Western Cape · 29 listed companies
Borehole drilling Pretoria
Gauteng · 15 listed companies
Borehole drilling Thohoyandou
Limpopo · 10 listed companies
Borehole drilling Gqeberha
Eastern Cape · 6 listed companies
Borehole drilling Polokwane
Limpopo · 5 listed companies
Sources
- DWS Johannesburg hydrogeological map brochure (1:500 000) (aquifer types, yield classes, dolomite, nitrate, mining and control areas)
- British Geological Survey: hydrogeology of South Africa (typical yields, depths and water quality by rock type)
- Tredoux, Talma and Engelbrecht (2000): the increasing nitrate hazard in groundwater in rural areas (band of high nitrate groundwater from the Northern Cape to Limpopo)
- National Water Act 36 of 1998, DWS copy (Schedule 1) (reasonable domestic use and by-laws)
- OurPower borehole drilling cost guide, city table (updated 1 October 2026) (city totals, per-metre rates and typical depths; a price-guide page, not quotes)
- SANS 241-1:2015 drinking water limits (laboratory transcription) (limits quoted on this page)
Request borehole quotes in Rustenburg
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