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Worker in the basket of a truck-mounted cherry picker, boom extended

Cherry picker hire in Rustenburg

Cherry picker hire in Rustenburg costs R2,400–R4,000 a day with operator for a 12–15 m machine with a certified operator, R4,150–R7,900 a day for 16–17 m and about R8,200 for 20–25 m, excluding VAT. Delivery in town is R1,300–R3,840 there and back, and for work on a mine or plant we send the operator and load-test papers ahead so the machine clears the gate.
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R2,400–R4,000 a day with operator

12–15 m cherry picker, 1 day
R2,400–R4,000
Transport both ways to Rustenburg
R1,300–R3,840
Estimated total
R3,700–R7,840

Prices exclude VAT. Your final price is confirmed in writing on WhatsApp before the machine moves.

  • Certified operators on every machine
  • Price in writing before the machine moves
  • All 9 provinces, transport as its own line
  • Replacement machine on breakdown

Rustenburg cherry picker rates

Rustenburg cherry picker rates with operator, excl. VAT. Prices updated: November 2026
SizeDayWeekMonth
12–15 mR2,400–R4,000R11,500–R12,500R32,500–R37,000
16–17 mR4,150–R7,900on WhatsAppon WhatsApp
20–25 mabout R8,200on WhatsAppon WhatsApp
50 m+about R16,500on WhatsAppon WhatsApp

Monthly hire suits shutdown and maintenance contracts at plants; the 20–25 m and 50 m+ prices rest on few price points, so treat them as a guide. Rustenburg is one of the main centres we send machines from. Transport for a cherry picker there and back usually comes to R1,300–R3,840, shown as its own line on your quote.

Plants, shafts and workshops on the platinum belt

The platinum mines run east along the N4 from Phokeng past Kroondal and Mooinooi to Marikana, and the ore is processed close by: the concentrator at Marikana is built to treat 220,000 t of ore a month, next to a smelter with two 37 MW electric furnaces. Around every shaft and plant are sheds, workshops, stores and offices that need work at height:

  • Lighting

    High-bay lights in workshops and stores, yard floodlights and lights on tall masts. Masts over 25 m need the 50 m+ class or a mast's own access.

  • Roofs and cladding

    Sheeting, gutters, flashings and cladding on plant buildings, often after summer storms.

  • Signs and security

    Safety signage, CCTV and fencing lights at gates and along haul-road crossings.

  • Shutdowns

    Planned maintenance windows, when a week or a month on the machine beats daily hire.

Getting a cherry picker onto a mine

  1. Send the mine's contractor pack with your booking. Mines work under the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996, and the mine sets its own entry rules.
  2. We send the papers ahead: the operator's certificate for mobile elevating work platforms (code C53), the machine's load-test certificate and the operator's medical, as the mine asks.
  3. Induction day: if the mine inducts contractors before work, book it into the hire so the first working day isn't lost at the gate.
  4. Machine checks: some mines add their own kit, such as flags, beacons or fire extinguishers. Tell us early and the machine arrives fitted.

Town work: shops, schools and signs

Away from the mines, Rustenburg's cherry picker jobs are shopfront and pylon signs, gutters and fascias on double-storeys, parking-lot lights at shopping centres, school halls and clinics in Tlhabane, Boitekong and the villages around Phokeng, and tree trimming clear of roofs. Most of it is 12–15 m work; a 12 m trailer machine (Genie TZ-34/20 or similar) is 1.45 m wide stowed, reaches 5.59 m sideways and carries 227 kg, two people with tools.

Turf, storms and wind

  • Black turf clay: Rustenburg's norite weathers to expansive clay (turf) in many places, and it goes soft when wet. Outrigger pads go on boards or mats on hard standing, never on wet turf, fresh fill or trench backfill.
  • Summer storms: rain falls mostly between October and March (South African Weather Service). The basket comes down when lightning is near.
  • Wind: outdoor-rated machines must not be raised when the wind may exceed 12.5 m/s, about 45 km/h. Storm fronts bring gusts well above that.
  • Power lines: mine and farm power lines cross many sites. Nobody may come inside a line's safety clearance without the line operator's permission (Electrical Machinery Regulations, reg 19(5)), so arrange it with the mine's electrical team, the municipality or Eskom first.

Certificates, delivery and nearby towns

Every cherry picker we send has a performance test by a registered lifting machinery entity no older than 12 months (Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015, reg 18), and the hirer keeps the latest test and service records on site. Copies come with the operator's papers before the machine arrives: safety and certificates.

Towards Brits and Hartbeespoort, machines come from Pretoria: Brits is about 53 km from Pretoria by road. Transport for a cherry picker there and back usually comes to R4,560–R5,520, shown as its own line on your quote. Sizes and outreach: cherry picker hire. All rates: cherry picker hire rates. Every other machine in town: plant hire in Rustenburg; mine contracts: mining plant hire; the rest of the province: plant hire in North West. We also send machines for cherry picker hire in Durban and cherry picker hire in Port Elizabeth.

Questions people ask

Can you send a cherry picker onto a mine near Rustenburg?

Yes. A mine works under the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996, and each mine sets its own contractor rules, such as site induction, operator medicals and extra equipment on the machine. Send the mine's contractor pack with the booking. The operator's certificate and the machine's load-test certificate come before the machine, so the paperwork is ready at the gate.

How much is a cherry picker per day in Rustenburg?

R2,400–R4,000 a day with operator for 12–15 m, R4,150–R7,900 for 16–17 m, about R8,200 for 20–25 m and about R16,500 for 50 m+, with operator, excluding VAT. For longer work, the 12–15 m class is R11,500–R12,500 a week or R32,500–R37,000 a month.

When is the best time of year for outdoor work at height in Rustenburg?

April to September. Rustenburg's rain falls mostly between October and March (South African Weather Service), with summer storms that bring lightning and soften the turf under the outriggers. Winter is dry, so roofing, painting and sealing go faster; summer jobs are still done, with standing time agreed on the quote.

Related

Sources we checked

  1. Mining Technology, Marikana platinum mine, Rustenburg (concentrator capacity and smelter)
  2. Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act 29 of 1996)
  3. South African Weather Service, What kind of droughts does South Africa experience? (summer rainfall season)
  4. Genie: why there are wind speed ratings on mobile elevating work platforms
  5. Genie TZ-34/20 and TZ-50 trailer-mounted boom specifications
  6. Driven Machinery Regulations, 2015 (GN R.540), regulation 18: lifting machines
  7. National Code of Practice for Training Providers of Lifting Machine Operators 2024 (Notice 5588), crane codes incl. C53
  8. Electrical Machinery Regulations, 2011 (GN R.250), regulation 19: overhead power lines
  9. SAHRIS: geotechnical investigation, Waterkloof, Rustenburg (Kroondal Norite; expansive soils; engineered soil raft of G5 or better; hard rock deeper than 2.2 m)
  10. SMM (August 2026), An introduction to the Bushveld Complex (western limb around Rustenburg; Impala Bafokeng, Rustenburg, Kroondal and Marikana operations; chrome from the UG2 reef)

Need a cherry picker in Rustenburg?

WhatsApp us the job, the town and the dates. We confirm the machine, the start date and the price in writing before the machine moves.

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