KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast has been steadily transforming over the past decade, but it is now attracting an increasing amount of foreign as well as local interest and the next phase of growth is set to elevate the region to an entirely new level. Club Med South Africa is launching its Beach & Safari Resort at Tinley Manor later this year and IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFAHR) has just announced two huge new projects as part of its Zimbali Vision 2023, and there is currently a compelling window of opportunity for property buyers and investors to purchase homes in either the original Zimbali Estate or the newer Zimbali Lakes development, ahead of an anticipated surge in both demand and prices.
Known as one of SA’s premier lifestyle estates, Zimbali occupies around 700ha of indigenous coastal forest along the Dolphin Coast and offers a rare combination of natural beauty, world-class amenities and exceptional security. The estate is home to the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole Zimbali Country Club golf course and boasts around 3,5km of private beach frontage as well as multiple private clubhouses, extensive nature trails and elite sports and wellness facilities.
Zimbali’s architecture is also distinctive, with a strong Indonesian influence and an exceptional variety of homes and apartments across a wide range of price points. This diversity continues to attract families, professionals, retirees and international buyers seeking a secure, resort-style coastal lifestyle.
Building on this legacy is the Zimbali Lakes Estate, a secure, lifestyle-focused development that incorporates an Ernie Els signature golf course alongside a growing range of lifestyle, retail and recreational offerings. World-class amenities in this estate include the Zimbali Sports Club with padel and tennis courts, cricket nets, fitness zones and resort-style pools, as well as Zimbali Square, which brings gourmet dining, boutique retail and everyday convenience into the heart of the estate. Several contemporary apartment developments – including Avanti, Bulgari, Ocean Club and Rixos – offer secure, low-maintenance living options that are proving especially popular with both end-users and investors.
For buyers, Zimbali Lakes represents an opportunity to invest early in a master-planned estate that is still unfolding, with future facilities and infrastructure expected to enhance both lifestyle value and long-term capital growth. IFAHR says the additional developments planned in terms of its Vision 2030 masterplan are intended to ensure that the North Coast becomes a “globally competitive coastal destination”.
These developments include the Zimbali Marina to be built at the mouth of the Tongaat River, which has been designed as a vibrant waterside destination integrating tourism, leisure, hospitality, fishing and commercial activity, with a proposed breakwater structure that will convert an unsafe stretch of coastline into a swimmable, family-friendly shoreline.
Also in the pipeline is the Zimbali Country Estate, located across the N2 from Zimbali Lakes, which will soon offer 1000 new homesites, ranging from mini-farms to residential sites priced at less than R1m. Designed as an agriculture-integrated precinct, it will offer secure countryside living within a modern estate framework.
The rising interest in Zimbali reflects broader demand for the KZN North Coast and particularly for secure, well-managed estates and sectional title developments. Buyers are drawn by the region’s excellent year-round climate, warm Indian Ocean, high-quality schools and private hospitals, and a lifestyle that balances coastal relaxation with modern convenience.
The area also offers easy access to the Umhlanga Ridge business hub, King Shaka International Airport and the ports and industrial centres of both Durban and Richards Bay. For Gauteng buyers, it is also just a short flight from Johannesburg, making it ideal for primary residences as well as lock-up-and-go coastal homes.
With infrastructure, lifestyle amenities and large-scale investment aligning as they are now, Zimbali and the greater North Coast stand at a pivotal point in their evolution. Buying ahead of the full roll-out of Vision 2030 will allow purchasers to secure property in an established, highly sought-after destination, while positioning themselves to benefit from the next wave of growth.
*For more information about Zimbali purchase opportunities or to arrange a viewing, contact our Chas Everitt resident agent Manuella Botha on 083 415 0177 or manuella.botha@chaseveritt.co.za
