Cape Town · wellpoints
Wellpoint or borehole in Cape Town: which pays back faster?
On the sandy Cape Flats and along parts of the coast, groundwater lies a few metres down. A wellpoint reaches it for a fraction of the cost of a borehole. We compared the two with Cape Town's 2026/27 tariffs.
By Borehole Payback · updated 24 October 2026
Will a borehole pay for itself?
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Garden water from each metro's average 2021–2025 weather; 2026/27 water and sewage tariffs incl. VAT; pump electricity at R3.50 per kWh. Drilling at R1 000 per metre incl. casing.
What our numbers show
Our calculations, data as of 24 October 2026
- A wellpoint with pump, about R15 000 as reported by a Cape Town owner, pays back in 1.2 yrs when it waters a 250 m² garden. A 60 m borehole for the same garden needs 7.4 yrs.
- Even a small 100 m² garden repays a wellpoint in 3.8 yrs: the investment is small and Cape Town's water and sewage tariff for garden-sized use is high.
- A wellpoint only works where the water table is shallow and the ground sandy. On clay or rock, or where groundwater is deep, the only option is a drilled borehole.
- Cape Town requires 14 days' notice before you sink a wellpoint or borehole, registration afterwards, and a City sign at the entrance of the property.
| Borehole 60 m, 250 m² garden | 7.4 yrs | |
| Wellpoint, 250 m² garden | 1.2 yrs |
Wellpoint at about 8 m; borehole at 60 m; both water the whole garden; 2026/27 tariffs incl. VAT.
Payback by garden size, Cape Town
| Garden | Wellpoint: net saving | Wellpoint payback | 60 m borehole payback |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m² | R3 970 / year | 3.8 yrs | 24.3 yrs |
| 250 m² | R13 015 / year | 1.2 yrs | 7.4 yrs |
| 400 m² | R24 852 / year | 0.6 yrs | 3.8 yrs |
| 800 m² | R52 155 / year | 0.3 yrs | 1.8 yrs |
Wellpoint R15 000 complete with pump at about 8 m; borehole R94 500 at 60 m. Net saving after pump electricity and R1 000 a year upkeep.
What is the difference?
A wellpoint is a narrow pipe with a screened tip, driven or jetted into sandy ground until it reaches the water table, usually within a few metres of the surface. A suction pump at the surface draws the water up. A borehole is drilled by a rig, often through rock, to tens of metres, lined with casing, and needs a submersible pump at depth.
Wellpoints give less water and the water can carry iron, which stains paving and walls; owners on the Cape Flats report yields of a few hundred litres an hour. For a garden that is usually enough. A borehole costs more but reaches deeper, more reliable water.
Before you start
The same Cape Town rules apply to wellpoints and boreholes: 14 days' written notice before installation, registration afterwards, and the City's sign at the property entrance. See borehole rules.
This week
Metro of the week: eThekwini (Durban)
A household in eThekwini (Durban) using 30 kl of municipal water a month pays about R2 253 a month for water and sewage under the 2026/27 tariffs. A 60 m borehole watering a 250 m² garden would save about R4 769 a year after pump electricity and upkeep, and pay back in 19.8 years.