A Lowvelder’s look at Ballito

It is human nature to overlook the familiar and all too often we are not aware of what we have until it is pointed out to us.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at a few of the things that a Lowvelder, new to Ballito and KwaZulu-Natal, first noticed after moving down here.

Just Smile

One of the biggest cultural differences that newcomers notice is in the way that strangers interact in public. It took me a good few weeks to get used the friendly hello’s I would receive from every petrol attendant and store clerk I came into contact with – not something that is very common in much of the rest of the country and, in particular, in our northernmost province.

Before moving to Ballito, I subscribed to the ‘no eye-contact rule’ in public: if we don’t know each other, then we don’t see each other – and we certainly don’t speak to each other! Here on the coast however, people go out of their way to give a friendly smile and a hello, regardless of race, language etc.

The local lingo is a reflection of this attitude, whether it’s a “howzit bru,” an evening out “jolling” before you “vaai to the posie” or just the fact that so much of Ballito is “lekka” – conversations with a coastal native are always entertaining.

This friendliness extends out onto the roads, as well. While getting to know the various routes in and around Ballito, I was struck by how much calmer road users are on the coast: the lack of mad hooting, shouts, threats and fists-shaken makes getting from point A to point B a much less stressful experience.

Things work!

Secondly – and I know this may push a few buttons, the local licencing department in Stanger is an absolute dream! From the very first visit I paid them, they were courteous and helpful – in contrast to the shambles residents of Limpopo have learnt to live with.

It took me ten years longer than my peers to get licenced (and that finally here in Stanger), for the simple reason that in the majority of the lowveld it may take up to three days of queuing merely to place a booking – meaning I was happier to just pay the fines and go my merry way.

In my former hometown, the chaos that reigns at the licencing offices has even led to muggings!

In comparison, the local licencing offices in Stanger are clean and efficient, and the personnel go about their jobs with friendliness.

Natural beauty in spades

Another thing that catches the eye is the overall cleanliness of Ballito. Of course there is some litter – and the price of a clean environment is constant vigilance, but the roads and suburbs of this unique coastal town are an example that much of the rest of the country should be emulating. From the lush greenery of Simbithi and Zimbali, to the sweeping vistas of endlessly rolling sugar cane plantations and the pounding spray of the Indian Ocean as it crashes against golden sands – Ballito provides the perfect marriage of farm-style community living in a quickly developing and urban environment.

Eats and treats for every taste

If you’re not a fan of seafood – never fear! Between crispy pizzas from Salt Cafe, tasty curry at Salt Rock Hotel, some of the best bunny-chows in the province available at the 24-hour Sasol Salt Rock and the best chicken south of the border at Mo-Zam-Bik: Ballito has something to offer even the most discerning pallet.

If you can’t stand the heat…

I come from what I thought was a hot and humid town – Tzaneen is just a few hundred kilometers south of Zimbabwe and its position in the Drakensburgs means that there’s plenty of water in the air, but the humidity of spring here truly deserves its legendary status!

Locals don’t even have to be introduced to me to know that I’m not from here, they take one look at me, suffering and sweating in the midst of a bunch of cool faces: and then give me that smile that says “you’ll get used to it.”

So the next time you’re out and about in Ballito, set aside a moment to appreciate your good fortune in living in a town as friendly and beautiful as this – then rush home and stand under the air-conditioner for a while before you melt!

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