Need a septic or conservancy tank emptied in Midrand? Send your suburb and describe the problem. A vetted local septic operator in your area calls you to confirm the price and a time. Most of Midrand, including Kyalami and Glen Austin, falls under the City of Johannesburg, and Blue Hills straddles the Tshwane boundary.
Need a tank emptied in Midrand?
Tell us your suburb, the type of property and what's going on: a routine pump-out, a smell, slow drains or sewage backing up. We pass your request on. A vetted local septic operator in your area calls you to confirm the price and a time.
Requests are taken from smallholdings and plots in Kyalami, Glen Austin and Blue Hills, and elsewhere in Midrand where there's no municipal sewer.
For a sense of price before the call, the septic tank emptying costs page lists published ranges with their sources. Your quote depends on tank size and access. What happens on the day is on the pump-out guide, and if something smells or backs up, start with septic tank problems.
Which council covers your Midrand property?
Midrand sits between Pretoria and Johannesburg, and that's exactly why this question matters. The two metros have different by-laws and different offices.
Most of Midrand is in the City of Johannesburg's Region A. The Johannesburg Roads Agency's Midrand depot covers "Midrand, Ivory Park, Diepsloot, Fourways", and its rainy-season list of Region A trouble spots includes Kyalami. The City's own Region A map book labels Glen Austin and several Blue Hills extensions.
Blue Hills is the tricky one. Johannesburg's map shows Blue Hills extensions in Region A. Yet Tshwane's 2026 ward list puts "Blue Hills smallholdings" in a Centurion ward. If you're in or near Blue Hills, your municipal account is the place to start.
Billed by Tshwane? Our Centurion page covers Tshwane's rules instead.
What Johannesburg's by-law says about your tank
Johannesburg's Water Services By-laws have a short run of sections on septic and conservancy tanks. In plain terms:
| Section | What it says | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| s65 | No septic tank may be built, installed, maintained or operated without the Council's prior written permission | Approval comes before the digger |
| s66 | The Council may allow a French drain or soakage pit, looking at the effluent and how permeable the soil is | Not every plot gets a French drain |
| s67 | A conservancy tank must be the capacity, material and position the Council requires | Get the spec before buying a tank |
| s69 and s70 | The Council may remove tank contents on a schedule it sets, with fees based on the volume removed by vacuum tank | Ask Joburg Water whether this applies to you |
| s71 | A tank that's no longer needed must be removed, or filled with earth or other suitable material | Connecting to the sewer means dealing with the old tank |
One difference from Tshwane is worth knowing. Tshwane's Sanitation By-laws spell out a minimum 3.5 metre roadway and gate for a conservancy tank truck. We found no matching access clause in Johannesburg's tank sections, so ask the operator what their truck needs.
Plots, paddocks and long driveways
Kyalami Agricultural Holdings, Glen Austin AH and Blue Hills include smallholdings, many with stables and paddocks. On a big plot the tank can be a long way from the gate.
Paddocks add their own catch: horses, horse boxes and bakkies have a way of ending up on top of the French drain. The US EPA's advice is to keep vehicles and heavy objects off the drain field.
Access and practical notes
- Hose reach. One operator serving Midrand asks for access to the manhole within 30 metres of the truck, and its suction hoses work up to 35 metres away. That's one operator's access condition; other trucks differ.
- Long driveways. If the tank is far from where a truck can safely drive, say so when the operator calls. It can affect the quote.
- Summer storms. The Johannesburg Roads Agency lists Silvertree Road and Plot 116 Zinnia Road near Palamino Road in Kyalami as rainy-season flood hotspots. After a big storm, check your route and driveway before the truck sets off.
- Estate rules. Many estates restrict when heavy vehicles may enter and need a gate booking. Check with your estate office before you agree a time.
- Gates, dogs and the access cover. Give the operator a gate code or have someone home, and lock the dogs away. Locate the access cover and clear loose items around it; leave lifting the cover and opening the tank to the operator.
What to ask the operator who calls you
- "How do you charge?" Per load or per litre. The charge can depend on the volume removed, the number of loads and how difficult the contents are to pump. Johannesburg's own by-law prices tank removal by volume, which is a useful benchmark. Your quote depends on tank size and access.
- "Will the slip show the litres?" Keep it. If the volume is well above what your tank holds, ask how it was measured, and note any disagreement on the slip.
- "Where does the load go?" A fair question for any operator. Sewage belongs at a facility that's allowed to take it.
- "Can you check the French drain?" Refilling after a pump-out is normal, because a working tank sits full to its outlet level. If drains keep backing up or effluent surfaces, ask for the outlet and drain to be checked. See our French drains guide.
Sources for the figures on this page
- Midrand depot covers "Midrand, Ivory Park, Diepsloot, Fourways"; Region A flood hotspots in Kyalami along Silvertree Road and at Plot 116 Zinnia Road near Palamino Road joburg.org.za
- Region A map book labels Glen Austin and Blue Hills Ext. 9 and Ext. 32 ags.joburg.org.za
- "Blue Hills smallholdings" in Tshwane Ward 77 www.gauteng.net
- s65 septic tank needs prior written permission; s66 French drain or soakage pit at Council's discretion, soil permeability; s67 conservancy tank capacity, material, position; s69 removal on Council's schedule; s70 fees by volume removed by vacuum tank; s71 disused tanks removed or filled openbylaws.org.za
- Tshwane 3.5 m roadway and gateway for conservancy tank removal vehicles archive.opengazettes.org.za
- Kyalami AH and Glen Austin AH smallholdings; stabling and paddocks; Blue Hills Equestrian Estate paddocks www.privateproperty.co.za
- Keep vehicles and heavy objects off the drain field www.epa.gov
- Manhole access within 30 m; suction hoses up to 35 m; serves Midrand suckaseptic.co.za