The stories offered here are an expression of how some people in the Karoo have come to think about the connections between rubbish, ill-health and their relationship to the land. It draws on local oral histories of land and health that were collected as part of a wider study by anthropologist Beth Vale, which sought to explore rising rates of chronic illness in the Eastern Cape’s Karoo Heartland. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2018 and 2020, and is complemented by insights from news articles published over this period.
With drought, rising food prices, and the spread of big food brands in the Karoo, it’s no wonder that more people are buying cheaper and more processed food. This food is worsening the chronic illness epidemic in the region. In the Beyers Naude district municipality, where Graaff Reinet is located, the Department of Health reports that rates of diabetes and hypertension are ever-increasing: new cases of hypertension are increasing 22.3% every year; while diabetes cases increased by 36% between 2015 and 2017. In 2011, only 37% of the Beyers Naude population were employed and 70% of the labour force was earning less than R800 per month. By 2020, mothers like Sindiswa Phakati from Klipplaat, who benefited from a child support grant of R470 per month, was spending R180 on a 25kg bag of maize meal, with the rest spent on sugar, salt, electricity and transport to the nearest supermarket which is 33km away in Jansenville.
In 2010, research from South Africa’s rural towns showed that healthier, local food is 10-60% more expensive on a weight basis, and 30-110% more on a food energy basis than mass-produced food. A decade later, only half of the South African population was able to afford a healthy food basket. Instead many opted for starch-heavy staples, sugar-rich foods and oils that are long-lasting and deliver quick energy.
Among the trash heaps in the Karoo is litter that came from food and litter that came from medicine – blister packs of diabetes or hypertension medication. Not only does processed, mass-produced food often fail to nourish us, it also creates litter that cannot be easily re-absorbed by the earth.
Ultra-processed food is bad for our bodies and its packaging is bad for the land. Unless we find ways to make healthy food more affordable, and support local food economies, many South African households will be forced to eat a diet that under-nourishes them.
