a borehole being drilled in a driveway in Betty’s Bay. (Photo: Roger Parsons)
By Roger Parsons – 8 April 2026
Recent droughts and low dam levels have driven demand for domestic borehole drilling, creating fertile ground for these opportunists.
Groundwater scientists have long been at odds with water dowsers – or stokkiewysers, call them what you will. It is the classic clash between science and belief. Dowsing has never been shown to work in any controlled scientific test – worldwide. I’ve long accepted that some are willing to spend thousands of rands on the twitch of a stick, but my irritation remains when I’m asked to “check the spot”…