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All nine provinces

Drones and drone services by area

Find drone shops, repairers, flight schools and licensed operators in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape and every other province.

Pre-flight checklist
South Africa, 2026
Private flying
Line of sight, daylight, below 150 ft (46 m)
Keep clear
About 50 m from people, roads and buildings
Airports
Stay 10 km away unless approved
Paid work
Pilot RPL and company ROC from the SACAA
Batteries
Store LiPo packs at about half charge

Suppliers and operators on our network work in all nine provinces, from Johannesburg's business parks and Pretoria's estates to Durban's coast and sugar cane, Cape Town and the Winelands, Gqeberha, the Garden Route, Free State grain farms, Lowveld citrus and game farms, and the mining towns of the North West, Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. Choose your province or town to read about flying there and request quotes.

Gauteng

Gauteng is the smallest province and the busiest drone market, with the most shops, repairers, flight schools and licensed operators packed between Johannesburg, Pretoria and Ekurhuleni. The work is mostly urban: progress filming on building sites, roof and solar inspections, estate marketing, stockpile surveys on old mine land and event footage. Airspace is the hard part. O.R. Tambo, Lanseria, Rand Airport, Wonderboom and the Waterkloof and Swartkop air force bases put large parts of the province inside controlled airspace, so many jobs need planning and approvals before take-off. Summer brings afternoon thunderstorms, lightning and hail, while winter mornings are often hazy with smoke. The thin Highveld air also trims battery time a little.

Mpumalanga

Mpumalanga changes sharply from west to east, and so does the drone work. On the Highveld around eMalahleni, Middelburg and Secunda, operators survey coal stockpiles and inspect conveyors, but power stations and the fuel plant at Secunda are national key points and off limits without permission. Down the escarpment, pine and gum plantations near Sabie and Graskop are mapped for forestry, and citrus and macadamia farms around Mbombela, White River and Hazyview want crop images and spraying. The Blyde River Canyon and Panorama Route draw content creators, yet Kruger National Park is a no-fly area. Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport sits near Mbombela. Expect Lowveld heat, misty escarpment mornings and summer storms.

North West

North West is platinum, maize and bushveld country, and drone work follows that mix. Around Rustenburg and Brits, operators survey open pits, waste rock dumps and tailings for platinum and chrome mines, while maize and sunflower farms near Lichtenburg, Klerksdorp and Vryburg want crop scouting and field mapping. Hartbeespoort Dam and the Magaliesberg attract weekend pilots and content creators, but Lanseria is close by and Pilanesberg National Park is off limits. Mahikeng and Pilanesberg airports add their own zones. Summers are hot, with storms building in the afternoons, and dry winter winds lift dust off ploughed land. Most operators travel from Rustenburg, Potchefstroom or Gauteng.

Limpopo

Limpopo is a long drive from most drone suppliers, yet it has plenty of work for them. Subtropical farms around Tzaneen, Letsitele and Levubu grow avocados, mangoes, citrus and macadamias, and growers ask for spray and scouting flights. Platinum near Mokopane, coal and power stations at Lephalale and copper and phosphate at Phalaborwa bring survey and inspection jobs. Game farms in the Waterberg and around Hoedspruit want aerial footage and help with fence and water checks. Kruger, Mapungubwe and Marakele national parks are closed to drones, and the air force bases at Makhado and Hoedspruit control large areas. Heat is the daily problem: batteries and phones overheat by midday.

Northern Cape

The Northern Cape is vast, dry and thinly populated, and many drone jobs here start with a long drive. Iron ore and manganese mines around Kathu, Postmasburg and Hotazel want stockpile volumes and pit surveys. Solar farms near Upington, De Aar and Prieska need panel inspections, often with thermal cameras. Vineyards and table grapes along the Orange River are mapped and scouted. Tourism content comes from the Namaqualand flower season and the Kalahari, but Augrabies Falls, Kgalagadi, Namaqua and Mokala national parks are off limits. Around Carnarvon, the radio astronomy area restricts transmitters, so check before flying there. Hot, dusty wind and fierce midday heat keep flying windows short.

Free State

The Free State is wide grain country, and much of its drone work starts on the farm. Maize, wheat, sunflower and soya growers around Bothaville, Viljoenskroon and Reitz ask for crop mapping, stand counts and spraying. The Goldfields near Welkom and Virginia add mine and tailings surveys, and the chemical plants at Sasolburg need careful inspection work. Bloemfontein brings property, construction and event jobs. In the eastern highlands, Clarens and the Maluti foothills draw content creators, but Golden Gate Highlands National Park is off limits. Bram Fischer International Airport and Bloemspruit air force base sit beside Bloemfontein. Winters are frosty with clear skies, and summer storms build fast over the open plains.

KwaZulu-Natal

KwaZulu-Natal mixes a busy coast, sugar cane hills, timber plantations and big game parks, and drone work covers all of it. Cane and forestry growers in the Midlands and Zululand use drones for mapping, stand counts and spraying. The harbours at Durban and Richards Bay, factories in Pinetown and Newcastle, and the coastal resorts bring inspection, property and tourism work. King Shaka International sits on the north coast and Virginia Airport serves Durban north, while Ezemvelo parks such as Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Drakensberg need permission to fly. Summers are hot and humid with heavy rain, and sea breezes and salt air are hard on motors.

Eastern Cape

The Eastern Cape stretches from the Karoo plains around Graaff-Reinet to the Wild Coast near Mthatha, and drone jobs are just as varied. Gqeberha and East London have vehicle plants, the Coega zone and busy ports, bringing inspection and survey work. Wind farms near Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp and Cookhouse need blade and tower checks. Citrus growers in the Sundays River Valley and pineapple farms near Bathurst ask for spraying and mapping. Surf spots, private reserves and Wild Coast villages draw tourism footage, but Addo Elephant, Mountain Zebra, Camdeboo and the Tsitsikamma section of the Garden Route park are national parks with no drone flying. Strong coastal wind is the main limit, so many flights wait for a calm morning.

Western Cape

The Western Cape has the country's busiest film and photography trade, and drones feature in many shoots, from adverts on the Atlantic seaboard to wine farm marketing in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Farmers use drones to map vineyards, orchards and Swartland wheat, and to spray where approvals allow. Saldanha Bay, Cape Town harbour and large building sites add inspection and survey jobs. Airspace needs care: Cape Town International, George Airport and the Ysterplaat, Langebaanweg and Overberg air force bases all matter, Koeberg power station is a key point, and Table Mountain National Park is closed to drones. The summer south-easter and winter cold fronts decide most flying days.

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