Phoning around for soakaway in Mpumalanga takes time, and every company asks the same questions. Send one job card instead and we pass it to drainage contractors and septic installers who serve towns, plots and farms across Mpumalanga. They quote on the work, travel, disposal and how soon they can come.
Soakaways in Mpumalanga
Soakaway work in Mpumalanga is mostly booked by owners of plots, farms and older houses where a septic tank is the only option. Share the number of people, the tank size and whether the ground is sandy, clay or rocky, so contractors serving Mpumalanga and the rest of Mpumalanga can quote accurately.
Want to know more first? Our soakaway guide covers the options, what to check and what affects the price.
Septic tanks and drainage in Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga splits into Highveld and Lowveld, and both have many properties off the sewer. Around eMalahleni, Middelburg and Ermelo, farms and smallholdings use septic tanks and french drains, while mining and power sites need bulk pump-outs. In the Lowveld near Mbombela, White River and Hazyview, lodges, guesthouses and citrus and macadamia farms run package treatment plants and conservancy tanks that are busiest in school holidays. Steep escarpment plots drain quickly but risk polluting streams, and heavy summer thunderstorms can flood soakaways. Honey sucker operators mostly work from Mbombela, eMalahleni and Middelburg, so remote lodges and farms may pay extra for travel time.
Typical soakaway requests in the area come from:
- Farms and game farms: building pits at homesteads and worker housing, kept well clear of boreholes and dams
- Lodges, guesthouses and venues: larger or multiple pits that cope with peak guest numbers and seasonal overloading
- Smallholdings and plots: a larger pit or two linked pits on a smallholding with space but heavy clay soil
- Houses: a new or rebuilt soakaway for an older house whose pit has clogged or flooded
- Factories, mines, sites and events: pits for site offices, depots and ablutions, sized for the number of workers
- Estates and complexes: sizing pits for shared tanks on a complex, with a test report for the body corporate
- Schools, churches and clinics: large pits for schools, clinics and churches, designed for heavy daytime use
Local tips for Mpumalanga
In Mpumalanga, the most common systems are treatment plants at Lowveld lodges, septic tanks and french drains on Highveld farms. Operators and suppliers mostly work from operators based in Mbombela, eMalahleni and Middelburg. A useful tip: ask how far the operator travels before adding a call-out fee.
Soakaways usually means dig a pit, fill it with stone or fit chambers, for 2 to 3 m across, 1.5 to 2.5 m deep, check yearly, lasts 15 to 25 years. Ground in the area: steep escarpment slopes and violent summer storms: keep soakaways away from streams.
What to include in your request
- Number of people using the system and the tank size in litres
- Whether this is a new soakaway or a repair of an old one
- Soil type and whether a percolation test has been done
- Distance to buildings, boreholes, streams and boundaries
- Stone pit, rubble pit or chamber, if you have a preference
The more detail you give, the more accurate your quote will be.
Service area: Mpumalanga and surrounds
Operators, contractors and suppliers on our network work throughout Mpumalanga, including Mbombela, eMalahleni, Middelburg, Secunda, White River, Hazyview, Ermelo. For smaller towns and farms, ask what the travel charge is from the nearest base and how far it is to the disposal site.