Club Med opens R2 billion Ballito resort with 600 permanent jobs
The North Coast development is the largest hospitality investment in South Africa and the wider SADC region since Sun City, and 84% of its staff are South African.
More than R2 billion has been invested in South Africa’s first Club Med resort, which opened in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, on Thursday with 600 permanent jobs and 84% of its employees drawn from this country.
President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the opening in an address delivered on his behalf by Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille, calling the development a vote of confidence in South African enterprise, in the capabilities of the country’s people and in the future of its tourism industry.
BusinessTech reported the opening and the President’s remarks.
The largest hospitality investment since Sun City
The President said the resort is the biggest hospitality investment in South Africa and the wider Southern African Development Community since Sun City opened in the 1970s. It is South African-funded and backed by an investment consortium committed to advancing broad-based black economic empowerment, he said.
Construction created more than 2,300 direct and indirect jobs. A further 1,500 indirect jobs are being supported across local suppliers and related industries. Everyone employed at the Vikela Safari Lodge comes from the surrounding communities.
“This mega-development is a vote of confidence in South African enterprise, in the capabilities of our people and in the future of our tourism industry,” Ramaphosa said.
What the resort means for suppliers on the North Coast
The President said the resort’s day to day operations would open opportunities for small, micro and medium enterprises through demand for fresh produce, maintenance, transport and other services. He welcomed Club Med’s partnerships with local businesses, noting that local procurement, fair access to supplier opportunities and partnerships with smaller tourism operators would help spread the benefits of the investment.
“That is how tourism investment can contribute to the prosperity of a nation,” he said.
Ramaphosa thanked the construction workers, artisans and contractors who built the resort, saying the experience they gained on a project of this scale would serve them on future work. He said the staff would shape how visitors remember the country.
“Their professionalism and hospitality will help shape how they remember our country,” he said.
Arrivals up 12,4% as the festive season approaches
The opening lands in a strong year for the sector. International tourist arrivals reached 6,5 million between January and July 2026, growth of 12,4% on the same period last year. The President said the resort opens at the right time, as the industry prepares to welcome guests for the festive season.
“I am confident that the official opening of this jewel will entice more visitors to our shores,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the project shows what collaboration between government, business and communities can produce. Government’s part, he said, is to create the conditions for investment to succeed through reliable infrastructure, responsive public services, efficient administration and safe communities. Business’s part is to invest for the long term, develop its workforce and build real relationships with the communities around it.
He also said the natural heritage that underpins tourism has to be protected, through responsible use of water and energy, less waste and care for the surrounding environment.
“To our international guests, welcome. Enjoy this resort and take time to discover the people, places and stories beyond it,” the President said.
Source: BusinessTech, New R2 billion luxury resort in South Africa gets Ramaphosa’s seal of approval
