WHAT'S Northam's claim to fame? Well, the answer depends on what makes you tick.
For adventure seekers who have made this hot and dry place their stomping ground, Northam's cheap getaways at its numerous bush lodges put it on the map.
It's no wonder the Oppikoppi music festival has made Northam its permanent home.
But since mining is a big deal here, Zondereinde - the deepest platinum mine in the world - is what puts this southwestern Limpopo town on the map.
It has turned the fortunes of Northam around - from a refreshment stop for travellers to Thabazimbi, Lephalale or northern Botswana, to a self-reliant economic hub.
The allure of platinum
The multitudes of migrants and tourists I encountered during my recent visit revealed that Northam no longer needs passing traffic to survive. The rapid population growth, fuelled by a growing workforce in the vibrant platinum mining sector, has brought a new vibe.
Most people I encountered in town were migrant workers from faraway places such as Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.
I met Samuel Masinga from Inhambane, Mozambique, outside an agency his countrymen use to transfer money and goods home. He arrived in Northam 11 years ago.
"I came here to work on the mines because that's what guys from my home village do. But for the first three years I survived by hustling as a hawker, before I got a job at Amandelbult," he said.
Amandelbult is one of the satellite mining towns nearby.
Masinga said life was good in Northam and he did not regret leaving his home country to work here. Not all the Mozambicans work on the mines; some are motor mechanics, tradesmen, taverners, others shopkeepers and salon owners.
A cosmopolitan hub
Women from Mozambique are increasingly becoming a feature, mostly as fruit and vegetable hawkers or hairdressers in the town's burgeoning informal trade.
This sector dominates commercial activity in the old side of town, where the main taxi rank stands. Stalls and makeshift stands are all over the show, while close by small shops emit a cacophony of local pop sounds, and Indian and Ethiopian music to lure clients in.
China is also well represented with its nationals selling their usual stuff, while ever-present Pakistani men in national dress aggressively hawk cellphone accessories.
With its cultural diversity, Northam is easily the new cosmopolitan centre of the Bushveld.
Litter and vice shame
Of concern is the haphazard manner of the informal trade, the littering and rowdy behaviour from drunk men who urinate anywhere.
I noticed that the police here prefer hanging around their station, which is not far away from the disorder and street vice.
The civic affairs of Northam are managed by the Thabazimbi local municipality, about 50km north of here.
Despite the distance, the municipality could do better by clearing the refuse more often and intensifying programmes for an organised civic life and town planning.
If mayor Patricia Mosito's "Back to Basics" campaign launched in Northam in September is anything to go by, many aspects should improve. Northam needs a cleaner and more attractive outlook as a matter of urgency.
The large new mall on the other side of the R510 is already adding value, and promoting development in the north wing of the town.
Northam's immense potential, economically and socially, could be held in the meaning of its global icon Zondereinde, which is Dutch for "bottomless".
There's no turning back now for the young town founded in 1945.
mokonetu@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
Bushveld turns cosmopolitan - Northam has a new vibe
WHAT'S Northam's claim to fame? Well, the answer depends on what makes you tick.
For adventure seekers who have made this hot and dry place their stomping ground, Northam's cheap getaways at its numerous bush lodges put it on the map.
It's no wonder the Oppikoppi music festival has made Northam its permanent home.
But since mining is a big deal here, Zondereinde - the deepest platinum mine in the world - is what puts this southwestern Limpopo town on the map.
It has turned the fortunes of Northam around - from a refreshment stop for travellers to Thabazimbi, Lephalale or northern Botswana, to a self-reliant economic hub.
The allure of platinum
The multitudes of migrants and tourists I encountered during my recent visit revealed that Northam no longer needs passing traffic to survive. The rapid population growth, fuelled by a growing workforce in the vibrant platinum mining sector, has brought a new vibe.
Most people I encountered in town were migrant workers from faraway places such as Eastern Cape, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique.
I met Samuel Masinga from Inhambane, Mozambique, outside an agency his countrymen use to transfer money and goods home. He arrived in Northam 11 years ago.
"I came here to work on the mines because that's what guys from my home village do. But for the first three years I survived by hustling as a hawker, before I got a job at Amandelbult," he said.
Amandelbult is one of the satellite mining towns nearby.
Masinga said life was good in Northam and he did not regret leaving his home country to work here. Not all the Mozambicans work on the mines; some are motor mechanics, tradesmen, taverners, others shopkeepers and salon owners.
A cosmopolitan hub
Women from Mozambique are increasingly becoming a feature, mostly as fruit and vegetable hawkers or hairdressers in the town's burgeoning informal trade.
This sector dominates commercial activity in the old side of town, where the main taxi rank stands. Stalls and makeshift stands are all over the show, while close by small shops emit a cacophony of local pop sounds, and Indian and Ethiopian music to lure clients in.
China is also well represented with its nationals selling their usual stuff, while ever-present Pakistani men in national dress aggressively hawk cellphone accessories.
With its cultural diversity, Northam is easily the new cosmopolitan centre of the Bushveld.
Litter and vice shame
Of concern is the haphazard manner of the informal trade, the littering and rowdy behaviour from drunk men who urinate anywhere.
I noticed that the police here prefer hanging around their station, which is not far away from the disorder and street vice.
The civic affairs of Northam are managed by the Thabazimbi local municipality, about 50km north of here.
Despite the distance, the municipality could do better by clearing the refuse more often and intensifying programmes for an organised civic life and town planning.
If mayor Patricia Mosito's "Back to Basics" campaign launched in Northam in September is anything to go by, many aspects should improve. Northam needs a cleaner and more attractive outlook as a matter of urgency.
The large new mall on the other side of the R510 is already adding value, and promoting development in the north wing of the town.
Northam's immense potential, economically and socially, could be held in the meaning of its global icon Zondereinde, which is Dutch for "bottomless".
There's no turning back now for the young town founded in 1945.
mokonetu@sowetan.co.za
For more stories like this one, be sure to buy the Sowetan newspaper from Mondays to Fridays
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