| Ballito | |
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| Ballito Beach | |
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Ballito
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | KwaZulu-Natal |
| District | iLembe |
| Local municipality | KwaDukuza |
| Time zone | South Africa Standard Time (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 4420 |
| Website | Ballito.net |
Ballito is a holiday town located in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. Ballito is situated roughly 40 kilometres north of Durban. Dolphins are common on this stretch of the North Coast shoreline, hence the nickname Dolphin Coast. (The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is also picturesquely named the Hibiscus Coast).
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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, England 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.
Today Ballito is a thriving community of its own with ties to primary and high schools in and around Ballito, Umhlanga, 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 beaches (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.
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.