SIES MAN! 

Northam – Residents of Northam have had enough. Piles of garbage have become a grim part of daily life, with streets steadily being swallowed by illegal dumping — and the situation doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast.

Drive down Ramoabi Street and you’ll dodge mounds of refuse. Cross the bridge on First Road, and you’re hit with a stench strong enough to turn your stomach. But perhaps the most jarring sight is at the entrance to Extension 6 on Swartklip Road, where rubbish lines both sides like an open invitation to dump more. And sadly, it doesn’t stop there.

A local resident, who asked to remain anonymous, captured the mess on video on 21 March 2025. “Believe it or not, it’s actually cleaner than usual,” the resident said. “The waste has been lying here for ages. People say it’s because the municipal collection isn’t consistent. So, they just dump it themselves — and sometimes burn it.”

The Thabazimbi Local Municipality (TLM), responsible for waste services in Northam and Thabazimbi, has been contacted for comment. It’s clear, however, that this problem isn’t theirs alone. A broken system combined with poor community behaviour has created a perfect storm of filth.

“We need people to stop dumping. Full stop,” said another frustrated resident. “The dumpsite is just a few kilometres away. Why turn our streets into landfills?”