Paving in Gauteng
A Gauteng driveway has two jobs: carry your car, and keep storm water out of ground that may sit on dolomite.
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Paving is often the biggest hard surface on a Gauteng property, so it decides where summer storm water goes. On most soils that means puddles and sunken tyre tracks. On the dolomite under large parts of Ekurhuleni and pockets of Tshwane, it's a question of ground stability, and the risk sits with you as owner.
The other local issue is the strip between your boundary wall and the kerb. In Johannesburg and Tshwane that's municipal road reserve, and paving it without approval is a common mistake.
How engineers pave on dolomite
The national Department of Public Works publishes a manual, PW344, for building state infrastructure on dolomite. It isn't written for private homes, but it shows how seriously engineers treat paving on this ground. Among its requirements:
- Surfaces must slope away from buildings, and ground against a building should fall by more than 3% over the first 3 m.
- Buildings without gutters get a 2 m wide paved strip around them, falling at least 1 in 20, with sealed joints.
- Brick and concrete paving gets a 250-micron HDPE plastic lining underneath, so rain that passes the joints can't reach the soil.
- Domestic swimming pools are ringed by 3 m of sloped, impervious paving.
On dolomite, a dip in the paving may not be the base
Ekurhuleni, where about 52% of the land is dolomitic, lists slight sinking of the ground, depressions and unexplained holes in the yard among the early signs of a sinkhole. On ordinary ground, a sunken patch of pavers usually means a weak base. On dolomite, don't let anyone simply relay it until you've ruled out a leaking pipe or a forming cavity, and report suspected signs to the municipality.
Permeable pavers and grass blocks are designed to let rain soak in, which works against the dolomite rule of keeping water out of the ground. If your erf is on dolomite, tell every installer before they quote, and ask how their falls and edging will carry water off the paving and away from the house.
The sidewalk belongs to the City
In Johannesburg, the road reserve runs from the road to your erf boundary, and the Johannesburg Roads Agency's conditions say a wayleave must be issued before any work is done in it, fees paid and other service agencies consulted first. Paving or kerbing the verge counts. The City's Public Roads By-law, in force since April 2025, also says that without written permission, nobody may lead or discharge water on or across a public road or sidewalk, or into the stormwater system.
Tshwane runs wayleave applications through an online portal aimed mainly at professional engineers. Either way, agree who will apply, and have the approval before anyone cuts into the verge.
Paving prices in Gauteng
Published prices do suggest a Gauteng difference. A Cape Town contractor's 2026 guide puts Johannesburg paving about 5 to 15% above its national ranges, citing demand and logistics. That's one source, and we haven't found a separate figure for Pretoria or the East Rand.
On dolomite, budget for the drainage as a line of its own: deeper falls, channels or a membrane under the paving all add to a basic quote. Check the rest against the paving cost guide.
Where in Gauteng
You can request quotes from anywhere in the province, including City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg, Soweto, Sandton, Randburg, Roodepoort, Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, Benoni, Boksburg. Choose your region and suburb in the form, and providers who cover your area will quote.
Paving in Gauteng: questions
Do I need permission to pave the sidewalk outside my Johannesburg house?
Yes. The sidewalk is part of the City's road reserve, and paving or kerbing it needs a Johannesburg Roads Agency wayleave before work starts. Other utilities' pipes and cables can run under the verge, which is why the JRA wants their sign-off on the application before it approves anything.
Can I use permeable paving in Centurion or Ekurhuleni?
Check first whether your erf is on dolomite. Both metros have dolomite areas, and Ekurhuleni maps its dolomite into hazard zones. Paving that lets rain soak into the ground conflicts with the advice to keep water out of dolomite, so on those sites a sealed surface that drains off is the safer choice.
My pavers have sunk in one spot. Is it a sinkhole?
Usually it's a weak or washed-out base. But if you're on dolomite, a new dip, cracks in the ground or water that ponds where it didn't before are listed by Ekurhuleni as possible early sinkhole signs. Rule out leaking pipes and report it before anyone relays the paving.
Can my driveway drain straight into the street?
Johannesburg's Public Roads By-law requires written permission to lead water across a road or sidewalk or into stormwater drains, so ask the installer how they plan to discharge runoff and whether the City has approved it. See [what to check before you hire](/services/paving).
Sources
- PW344/2017 Appropriate Development of Infrastructure on Dolomite: Manual for Consultants, National Department of Public Works, 2017
- Water Ponds Could Lead to Sinkholes, City of Ekurhuleni, 8 February 2021
- Dolomite Risk Management Policy, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
- City of Tshwane on high alert amid surge of sinkholes in Centurion, TimesLIVE, 26 February 2025
- Wayleave Application Form (RO-REG-F001, Revision 1), Johannesburg Roads Agency, July 2021
- Public Roads By-Law, 2024, City of Johannesburg (commenced 9 April 2025)
- Wayleave portal, City of Tshwane
- Paving Cost per m² in South Africa (2026 Guide), Cape Handyman Team, updated August 2026
Last updated 28 October 2026.
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