Business insurance · South Africa · Head-to-head

Hollard vs Santam

Two South Africa business insurance options, compared side by side for South Africa trades.

Which should you choose?

Hollard and Santam are both Tier A, which every business insurance entry without a reputation warning receives, so the tier does not separate them. Weigh the pros, cons, pricing and South Africa-specific notes below against your trade and region.

Hollard

Tier A · Listed

Broker-sold business insurance, including construction and engineering cover

Hollard is a privately owned South African insurance group. Its business pages cover liability insurance, commercial insurance and specialist-sector products, including construction and engineering insurance and trade and construction guarantees. Hollard says it works through brokers and advisers, and its business pages send buyers to a broker finder rather than an online quote.

Pros

+ Liability and commercial insurance for businesses from startups to large firms
+ Specialist construction and engineering cover
+ Trade and construction guarantees handled by a dedicated Hollard team
+ Broker and adviser finder on Hollard's site

Cons

− Sold through brokers and advisers: no online quote on the business pages
− No prices published
− Product pages give little detail on what each policy covers
− Cover details and wording come from your broker, not from the website

South Africa note

Hollard's construction and engineering page and its trade and construction guarantees page list named Hollard contacts, but cover is arranged through a broker or adviser. Contractors can ask their broker to include Hollard when quoting project cover or guarantees.

Typical South Africa pricing: Quote-based through a broker or adviser; Hollard publishes no business insurance prices.

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Santam

Tier A · Listed

South African insurer with Contractors' All Risks, plant and liability cover, mainly through intermediaries

Santam is a South African short-term insurer (authorised FSP 3416) that bought the Kandua home-services marketplace in May 2024. Its construction and engineering unit offers Contractors' All Risks (which now includes erection all risks), contractors' plant and equipment cover and advance loss of profits. Its business liability range includes broadform general liability, products and defective workmanship liability and employers' liability, arranged through intermediaries or by phone.

Pros

+ Contractors' All Risks for residential, commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects
+ Plant and equipment cover for mobile plant used across several sites
+ Liability range includes defective workmanship and employers' liability
+ SmartSME small business quotes can be started online

Cons

− No published premiums; every cover is quoted
− Construction and liability covers are arranged mainly through intermediaries
− The SmartSME page does not mention trades or tools cover

South Africa note

Santam bought Kandua, the South African home-services marketplace also listed in this directory, in May 2024. Its Contractors' All Risks policy covers the works under construction and includes public liability, according to Santam's construction and engineering page.

Typical South Africa pricing: Quote-based; no public prices (through an intermediary, by phone on 0860 444 444, or online for SmartSME small business cover)

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More South Africa options

See all South Africa business insurance vendors and the rest of the South Africa directory.

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