Every South African household has its own unwritten rules, but few split opinions quite like what happens at the front door.
For some, shedding your shoes the moment you walk inside is a non-negotiable ritual of comfort; for others, keeping your footwear firmly on is simply second nature.
Beyond personal preference and keeping the floors clean, our unique climate, primary school culture, and relaxed home lives have turned going barefoot into a distinctly local habit - and science suggests our feet might actually be better off for it.
Your feet might appreciate it
There is, however, an argument for going barefoot that has nothing to do with keeping the floors clean.
Our feet contain many bones and joints, along with muscles and tendons that help us balance and move, and research suggests that giving those muscles more opportunity to work can have benefits.
A 2021 study published in Scientific Reports followed adults who spent six months using minimal footwear. The researchers found that foot strength increased by an average of 57.4% over the study period.
A 2025 systematic review of seven studies involving 213 participants also found associations between barefoot or minimalist-footwear training and improvements in foot-muscle volume, toe-flexor strength, arch function and neuromuscular control.
That doesn't mean we should spend the day wandering around barefoot, nor does it mean shoes are bad for your feet.
But it does challenge the idea that our feet are somehow better off being supported and cushioned every waking hour.
There is also something about the feeling
But the appeal of going barefoot is less complicated.
Shoes protect our feet, help us deal with thorny gravel paths and cold mornings and allow us to walk considerable distances without thinking too much about what is underneath us.
Taking them off could be a small signal to the brain that the day's travelling, working and rushing around is over.
There is a reason the first thing many people do after a long day is remove whatever has been bothering them most: a tie, a jacket, a bra or shoes.
The South African barefoot test
Our climate probably helps.
For much of the year, South African homes are suited to wandering around without shoes. Summer means cool tiles and bare feet, and even Gauteng winters provide sunny afternoons.
Walking barefoot across grass is a simple pleasure that costs nothing and requires no planning because you don't need a scientific explanation to understand why standing barefoot on cool grass after a hot day feels good.
And then there are some South African primary schools where going barefoot is part of the summer routine up to Grade six. At certain schools, particularly during the warmer months, children and parents don’t have to worry about trying to find shoes before the school day.
When my son was in primary school, the headmaster gave a simple explanation about the barefoot phenomenon.
It’s a simple explanation because children would inevitably take their shoes off during break, and when the bell rang, they would forget them, and they would be lost.
It was also a blessing in disguise, as he went through growth spurts that meant we didn’t have to buy new school shoes every few months.
Shoes on or off?
You can’t walk into a board meeting barefoot, but the moment you enter the home, all bets are off.
Some people run their hallway with dictator-level mud enforcement and others haven’t thought about what’s on their soles for years.
Ultimately, it’s rarely about science but comes down to personal comfort and respecting whoever holds the power (and the mop) at the front door.
willem.vdputte@nationalmg.co.za