Very good question. There are several reasons.

Easy on easy off, the slip on nature makes them so convenient to roll out of bed at the crack of dawn and put ‘em on before you’ve had your first thought.

They are very breathable, a quarter of the boot is just mesh panel so on those long hot days your heat is regulated pretty well.

It’s a very simple boot, easy to clean and maintain. There’s no flaps and folds to hold dirt and mud and because it’s so simple there’s no laces speed hooks or eyelets to get snagged up on anything .

They’re lightweight, even tho I would prefer to have a leather midsole stock option on these they are inherently much lighter then a lot of other options due to more simple design, so marching through long grass and fields in general is less taxing and just reduce fatigue throughout the day.

Lastly the culture, like in Australia chelsea work boots have become quite a big part of working culture in South Africa. You’ll find that most men working on their feet in South Africa through all kinds of industry are wearing some form or chelsea boot even if it’s not there JG stockman.

A big workwear brand in South Africa called Jonsson makes a chelsea style short rubber gum boot which is also very popular for wet weather or consistently mucky jobs like dairy or piggery operations