Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal
Encyclopedia
Ballito is a holiday town located in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
. Ballito is about 40 kilometres north of Durban
. Dolphin
s are common on this stretch of the North Coast shoreline known as the Dolphin Coast. (The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is also picturesquely named the Hibiscus
Coast).
The area was originally portion of a sugar cane farm at Compensation Beach owned by Basil Townsend.
The Sunday Tribune printed in 1954 an advert for Ballito Bay inviting potential investors to the North Coast with prices of land from R790.00 (395 SA Pounds). By 1964 the zonings for Ballitoville's residential buildings, hotels and a caravan park had already been incorporated into the town plan known as Compensation Beach and this area stretched out from Willard Beach to Clark Bay, Salmon Bay and Port Zimbali. A brochure with the first marketing pictures of Ballito, was put out to attract the holiday makers to invest in the area with the slogan: "Buy, Build & Play at Ballito Bay, The Caribbean of the North Coast - Natal". Ballito, Salt Rock
and Shakas Rock are favourite holiday destinations for local South Africans and also foreign tourists on their way up to Zululand
and the battlefields
The book "The Birth of Ballito Pearl of Natal North Coast", 2005 by Jack Nash (1914-), gives a personal history from the early beginning of Ballito through to 1986 when he left the area and includes a history of some of the early pioneers and characters of the town. These include his father-in-law, Reg Fripp, who built many of the early houses. Jack Nash, who today lives in Amber Valley, Howick
, own history includes being the Estate Agent for Glen Anil in Ballito through to him being the Chairman of the Ballito and the North Coast Publicity Associations.
, Stanger and Tongaat. Ballito has grown exponentially in recent time and has three huge new shopping malls, Lifestyle centre, The Junction and The Ballito Bay Mall. It is a holiday destination with hotels and self-catering accommodation, swimming (Willard) and surfing
beach
es (Boulder). A promenade about 2.5 kilometres long along the beach front allows for walking and jogging. The Gunston 500 surfing contest, renamed to the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro, has shifted from Durban's North Beach to Ballito where it is held annually.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Ballito is about 40 kilometres north of Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
. Dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s are common on this stretch of the North Coast shoreline known as the Dolphin Coast. (The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is also picturesquely named the Hibiscus
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is quite large, containing several hundred species that are native to warm-temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world...
Coast).
History
The town was established in 1954 as a private township, by the Glen Anil Development Corporation/Investments which was headed up by Dr Edward (Eddie) Rubenstein (1903-1972). The word "Ballito" translated from Italian means "little ball". The town's name was borrowed from a glossy advert for Ballito hosiery made by Ballito Hosiery Limited of St. Albans, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
The area was originally portion of a sugar cane farm at Compensation Beach owned by Basil Townsend.
The Sunday Tribune printed in 1954 an advert for Ballito Bay inviting potential investors to the North Coast with prices of land from R790.00 (395 SA Pounds). By 1964 the zonings for Ballitoville's residential buildings, hotels and a caravan park had already been incorporated into the town plan known as Compensation Beach and this area stretched out from Willard Beach to Clark Bay, Salmon Bay and Port Zimbali. A brochure with the first marketing pictures of Ballito, was put out to attract the holiday makers to invest in the area with the slogan: "Buy, Build & Play at Ballito Bay, The Caribbean of the North Coast - Natal". Ballito, Salt Rock
Salt Rock
Salt Rock is a small town just north of Ballito and Shaka's Rock on the Dolphin Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a favorite holiday destination for many local South Africans. It is about 40 minutes north of Durban. There are plenty of fishing spots along the coast from Salt Rock, through...
and Shakas Rock are favourite holiday destinations for local South Africans and also foreign tourists on their way up to Zululand
Zulu Kingdom
The Zulu Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Zulu Empire or, rather imprecisely, Zululand, was a monarchy in Southern Africa that extended along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela River in the south to Pongola River in the north....
and the battlefields
Battlefields
Battlefields is a settlement in Mashonaland West province in Zimbabwe....
The book "The Birth of Ballito Pearl of Natal North Coast", 2005 by Jack Nash (1914-), gives a personal history from the early beginning of Ballito through to 1986 when he left the area and includes a history of some of the early pioneers and characters of the town. These include his father-in-law, Reg Fripp, who built many of the early houses. Jack Nash, who today lives in Amber Valley, Howick
Howick, KwaZulu-Natal
Howick is a town located in the uMgungundlovu District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The town is 1050 m above sea level, and about 88 kilometres from the port city of Durban. It enjoys warm summers and cool dry winters. A snappy chill descends upon Howick when snow falls on the nearby...
, own history includes being the Estate Agent for Glen Anil in Ballito through to him being the Chairman of the Ballito and the North Coast Publicity Associations.
Tourism
Today Ballito is a thriving community of its own with ties to primary and high schools in and around Ballito, UmhlangaUmhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal
Umhlanga is a residential, commercial and resort town north of Durban on the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, created in 2000, which includes the greater Durban area...
, Stanger and Tongaat. Ballito has grown exponentially in recent time and has three huge new shopping malls, Lifestyle centre, The Junction and The Ballito Bay Mall. It is a holiday destination with hotels and self-catering accommodation, swimming (Willard) and surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es (Boulder). A promenade about 2.5 kilometres long along the beach front allows for walking and jogging. The Gunston 500 surfing contest, renamed to the ASP PRIME Mr Price Pro, has shifted from Durban's North Beach to Ballito where it is held annually.
Business sector
Ballito's business sector has also grown significantly with a large commercial business park bordering the N2 freeway. With a full service industry within the commercial business park, Ballito now caters to a growing business community on the North Coast. Enterprise iLembe, the regions investment arm, has been formed to develop Ballito and the iLembe area as an investment destination of choice.External links
- http://www.iloveballito.comOnline Guide to Ballito
- http://www.ballitolife.co.zaBallito Life & Style
- North Coast Courier
- The Ballito magazine
- www.ballitonews.co.za Ballito's daily online newspaper
- Mr Price Pro