A suburban scourge – pseudoscience and groundwater detectors
Daily Maverick | 09.04.2026 03:24
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”.
