Since 2007 Club Med has scoured South Africa in search of the ideal spot to open its first resort in the country.
“We took some time to find an amazing place,” Olivier Perillat-Piratoine, MD of Club Med South Africa, told investors, French dignitaries, media and travel experts at the site on Monday.
“Many have asked why KwaZulu-Natal and not Cape Town? That’s easy to answer: it’s because we have found a unique place which will offer a unique experience. It’s the only place where guests will be able to do a beach holiday and a safari.”
The north coast is expected to receive a further economic boost from the R2bn Club Med South Africa resort, the construction of which is in full swing.
The scale of the resort, expected to open in July 2026, has necessitated a phased construction approach, allowing for multiple aspects of the project to advance simultaneously.
The current focus is on the 345-room hotel, 66 luxury villas, convention centre and parking facilities.
Platforms have been prepared, and piling has begun on the 66 luxury villas, each offering estuary views.
Groundwork has started on the state-of-the-art conference venue, designed to accommodate 500 delegates, along with the resort’s parking area, which will maintain a vehicle-free zone for guests’ safety and tranquillity.
A site visit on Monday revealed the scale of the construction on the 30-hectare property, with over 700 workmen hard at work.
Architect John van Wyk said the topography of the land, which includes rolling hills, was incorporated into the design of the resort, with most rooms offering spectacular sea views.
Victoria Wood, of Mobius Interior Architecture, is lending her interior design talent to the project, incorporating elements of the ocean and the culture of KwaZulu-Natal into the resort décor.
Darroll McKeown, director of M3 Africa, which is part of the construction team, said until March this year the site was mostly sugar cane.
But a walk through the site on Monday showed that work on the resort is progressing quickly.
Plans for the construction of the huge project were submitted a year ago.
“Over 750 people report for work each day, and we are expecting the number to double as we reach the peak of the project,” said McKeown.
He said the pristine beach will not be a private one, but an application for Blue Flag status is in the making.
Club Med South Africa will introduce a unique bush experience through its exclusive safari lodge located in northern Zululand.
It will also feature the first-ever Club Med surf school at the beach resort.
Cobus Oelofse, CEO of the iLembe Chamber of Commerce, said: “From an exposure and profile point of view, the benefit of having a significant, international hospitality brand such as Club Med associated with the north coast has been off the charts.”
He believes “strong linkages during the planning and current construction phases are already benefiting our region's economy.
“Resorts such as Club Med also require significant infrastructure to operate to its known world-class standards, infrastructure that will also be of benefit to the wider region.
“The benefit of direct employment in hospitality, management, entertainment and maintenance at the resort is widely acknowledged, while indirect employment and seasonal jobs are often understated but which will bring significant benefit.
“Considering the local economic benefits associated with resort development, the chamber also anticipates a benefit to local vendors and a wide range of suppliers.”
Oelofse said the Club Med development will not only provide confidence to other resort developers, but will also allow access to strategic and other infrastructure and services that are being put in place.
“The region has become a sought-after destination for both domestic and international tourists, and we believe that investment will follow the growing demand from the tourism industry.”
