The hidden economy of small towns where local connections forge resilience in rural life

I recently did an informal audit of our private service providers in our home town of Nxuba (formerly known as Cradock), Eastern Cape.

Without too much trouble, the list soon topped 30. These included the obvious, like doctors, optometrists, dentists, pharmacy, the local Isuzu dealership, handymen, garden service, security company, Nico the plumber, Dieter the electrician, hairdresser Carozel, car guards Anthony and Cedric, and the creatively eccentric local delivery man, Lucky Adams who, by the way, has also completed 23 Comrades Marathons. 

Then there’s the butcher who makes the best biltong, a local farmer’s wife who delivers kudu steaks and mince, and a local entrepreneur who sources nuts and seeds.

Also, the chap at the local car parts shop who has a side hustle in doringhout delivered by the bakkieload just as winter bites. And the painter and his son and assistant who come to do touch-ups and to patch up the window putty.

We also have a quick way of getting hold of the local snake catcher and bee whisperer. And the wonderful people who fix appliances like radios and washing machines. 

Look at small towns through a different lens. (Image: Chris Marais)

Prepare for open horizons, minuscule traffic flows and friendly faces. (Image: Chris Marais)

Sundowner time in Uniondale. (Image: Chris Marais)

Read more: Random retail revelations in small South African towns

Dorps are not miniaturised versions of cities. Things work completely differently here. The economy of a small town generally runs on agriculture.   

Plumbers and electricians are prized more highly than brain surgeons or actuaries. And everything runs on interconnection, shared knowledge and trust — rare assets in cities. 

Eccentrics cars are welcome in the platteland. (Image: Chris Marais)

Living in "Small Town" South Africa can be good for the creative soul. (Image: Chris Marais)

The jigsaw puzzle

Think of the working parts of a small town as pieces of an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. Then imagine yourself (potentially) as one of the missing pieces, adding to the capital of the social landscape you will live in.

Will you be the retired MD who resides in the most expensive house, keeping his distance from the community while enjoying all the available benefits therein? 

Or will you be the one who pitches in? 

When small-town municipalities fail, SA civil society often steps in. (Image: Chris Marais)

A fire prevention squad jogging through downtown Jansenville. (Image: Chris Marais)f

Municipalities are failing in all but a few platteland areas, mostly in the Western Cape. But civil society is generally strong in the rural areas, and it is doing its best to keep it all together. The small-town WhatsApp groups buzz with news, notifications, warnings and requests.

Read more: Moving to the Platteland: The magic of small-town living

In our town, the Cradock Community Forum cleans the streets of litter because the municipality will not, or cannot, complete the job. Periodically, they clear the clogged canals carrying water from the Fish River weir to town. If that didn’t happen, we would have no water because the municipality doesn’t have the will or the manpower to do that either.

Those who cannot work contribute food for the workers or money for labourers or machinery. It is highly imperfect, but life in Nxuba would be horrible without them.

However, it’s not just about doing the jobs that the municipalities should be doing — although keeping your patch of pavement clean is more valuable than you’d imagine.

Navigating small-town South Africa — tricky at times, but mostly wonderful. (Image: Chris Marais)

The morning rush hour in Murraysburg. (Image: Chris Marais)

The platteland is where you give way to the flocks of livestock. (Image: Chris Marais)

Come with kind eyes

Goodwill is a valuable currency here, along with gossip.

It’s also about buying local, supporting the local kerkbasaars that in turn provide for indigent families, going to the local rugby game or tennis matches, and donating regularly to the local animal shelter. And for heaven’s sake, don’t turn your beautiful old Karoo brakdak huisie into a Tuscan palace with sliding doors.

Read more: The ups and occasional downs of learning how to socialise well in a small town

When you come to your new hometown, come with fresh eyes, and look at your new address with kindness. You’ll soon see how you can contribute, or what needs to be celebrated and preserved.

In no time, the farmer with the best kudu steaks will be at your door, the local padstal will be giving you free coffee for the favour you did for someone last week (a cousin), and the local vet or doctor may make a house call.

Low-maintenance gardening in Merweville. (Image: Chris Marais)

Small town, big life

Our friend Victoria Nance, who moved from Gqeberha to Nieu-Bethesda by way of Colesberg, says: “If you want to be a hermit and live unnoticed, don’t move to the platteland. The smaller the town, the bigger the social life. You’re expected to take part.”

If you move to a town with all its jigsaw pieces in place, all perfectly polished, you will pay a fortune for the plug-and-play privilege.

It’s the imperfect towns, the ones with more affordable property, that really need you. They are the ones that let you live a bigger life in a small town. DM



For an insider’s view on semigration and small town life in South Africa, get Moving to the Karoo and Road Tripper Eastern Cape Karoo (illustrated in black and white) by Julienne du Toit and Chris Marais for only R520, including courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at [email protected]