Starting Out as a Bricklayer in South Africa

There is no statutory licence to work as a bricklayer in South Africa, but the qualification that gets you better work and trade-test status is the Occupational Certificate: Bricklayer (SAQA ID 93627, NQF Level 4). You earn it through a three-year dual-system apprenticeship (college plus workplace) run through CETA or QCTO, or you can take the trade test on the strength of experience. Bricklaying is one of the cheapest trades to start, so the real questions are qualification, where the work comes from, and how to price it.‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌‌​​‍

How to register and get qualified

The formal qualification is the Occupational Certificate: Bricklayer (SAQA ID 93627, NQF Level 4, 361 credits). Entry is a Grade 9, 10 or 11 or an NQF Level 3 equivalent, with a minimum age of 16. CETA is the Construction Education and Training Authority and QCTO is the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations.

There are two trade-test routes:

• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): four years of relevant experience plus a letter from your employer or employers, then apply to Indlela (at Olifantsfontein, under NAMB, the National Artisan Moderation Body) for a trade-test date.
• Apprenticeship: an N2 or higher plus about 2.5 years on the job, then sit the trade test at Indlela.

A pass gives you the Red Seal (Section 26D) Trade Certificate from QCTO. Corobrik's Building School (in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape) offers CETA and QCTO accredited bricklaying training and trade-test preparation, and AITF also offers trade-test preparation.

Your work answers to the building regulations: SANS 10400-A (the general principles of the National Building Regulations, which apply to all building work) and SANS 10400-K (walls, the structural requirements for masonry). Mortar mixes, coursing and bonding follow the standards the regulations reference.

Kit and start-up costs

Bricklaying has the lowest entry cost of the building trades. Approximate prices, so confirm current costs:

• Brick trowels (pointing and london) and levels: about R1,500.
• Plumb bob, line pins, corner blocks and builder's line: about R500.
• Club hammer and bolster chisels: about R800.
• Angle grinder (brick cutting): about R2,000.
• Brick or block cutting bench saw: hire at first, buy at about R8,000 once established.
• Small concrete mixer: hire at about R500 per day, buy later at about R5,000 to R8,000.
• Wheelbarrow, shovels and buckets: about R1,500.
• PPE (safety boots, dust mask, goggles, knee pads): about R1,500.

A realistic launch kit lands at roughly R8,000 to R15,000.

What you can charge (estimates)

Public SA bricklayer rates are not comprehensively verified, so treat the following as estimates, not fixed published rates:

• Day rate: roughly R600 to R1,200 per day for a skilled bricklayer.
• Per-brick rate: roughly R3 to R6 per brick laid, labour only.
• Boundary wall: roughly R350 to R600 per square metre, labour only.

Confirm against your local market and price the specific job.

Common mistakes

• Pricing per brick without checking the day adds up. Slow or fiddly work can leave a per-brick rate below a fair day rate.
• Ignoring SANS 10400-K on structural walls and getting pulled up at inspection.
• Relying on word of mouth alone and going quiet between jobs.
• No written terms with the builders you sub-contract to, so payment drags.
• Putting off VAT. You must register for VAT once turnover passes R2.3 million from 1 April 2026, and you can register voluntarily from R120,000.

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