Posh Ballito estate residents see red over sand pollution

Storms of red sand from a neighbouring development have left residents at one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most opulent estates seeing red.

Residents of Elaleni Coast Forest Estate in Ballito are packing their bags and abandoning their multimillion-rand homes as the invasive grit from the R800m Coral Cove retirement home has covered their properties and damaged interiors, pools, gardens and high-end finishes.

The retirement home is being developed by Auria Senior Living.

Patrick Mooney, a spokesperson for the affected residents, told the Sunday Times Auria failed to adhere to the environmental management plan, leading to severe environmental and health issues over the past 10 months. “Heavy rains caused soil erosion, damaging a swamp forest and flooding homes. Dust from stripped land has contaminated homes, causing respiratory problems in children and significant repair costs. Despite protests and engagement with the CEO, the developers have not adequately resolved the issues.”

Mooney’s home, which he moved into in June, is covered in red sand. “It’s an eco-estate. I had to be 50% off the grid. I’ve got water storage facilities. My solar panels don’t even work like they should, because they are caked in red dust,” he said.

“The brand new air conditioners are clogged up and stopped working. We had to get the guy every three months to come and clear them at our expense. My house needs to be repainted. The dust is inside. It’s stained all our tiles. Our furniture is ruined. It just goes on. The list is endless.”

Sand from a neighbouring construction has covered furniture, floors and pools at the upmarket Elaleni Coastal Living estate north of Durban (Supplied)

Seven families have moved because their children, some as young as four months old, had fallen ill due to frequent sand storms.

Two residents who asked not to be named said the daily sand storms were not worth risking their children’s health and comfort over.

A mother said her family was forced to move because the dust worsened her toddler’s asthma. "We have reports from the doctor which clearly states that this situation is making her ill more frequently. We had no other choice," she said.

• R5m to R25m: The cost of property at Elaleni Coast Forest Estate

• R800m: The development cost of Coral Cove

• 380m-long: The size of a 3m-high dust fence erected to safeguard neighbours from the dust
— In Numbers

Another family, which has been renting a property, terminated the lease because their child was sick all the time. “Our baby already has a pre-existing condition. This made it worse. Sadly, little has been done to address this issue, so we had no choice but to go.”

The KZN economic development, tourism and environmental affairs (EDTEA) department conducted site compliance inspections on August 29, September 11, and October 11 and 22. EDTEA spokesperson Sinenhlanhla Mthembu said inspectors found contraventions of numerous conditions of the Environmental Authorisation and Environmental Management Programme. “These include severe erosion and sedimentation of the swamp forest at Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate arising from the Coral Cove Retirement Development,” she said, adding that a⁠ notice of intention (NOI) to issue a compliance notice was served on Auria.

“The next step is to serve the notice. The time for a response to the NOI lapses at the close of business today [Friday]. The compliance notice is to be issued next week. The notice will compel Auria to cease construction and address issues of contravention, including dust prevention measures. The site will be shut down from Monday should there be no compliance with the NOI.”

Ballito residents are up in arms over a sea of red dust that has covered their homes, furniture, pools and washing. Dozens of Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate residents are fed and concerned over the dust from the R800m Coral Cove senior living development being built. (SANDILE NDLOVU)

During a meeting on Friday between Auria, residents and Elaleni management , it was revealed construction was expected to stop for the year-end break next week and resume early in January.

An independent air quality expert was appointed and is due to hand over a report next week.

Auria has denied environmental transgressions. “From the outset, we recognised the potential challenges of dust in a windy area during construction and have taken significant steps to minimise its impact. These include the use of three to five 18,000-litre water tankers spraying the site daily; deploying hydroseeding via drones in completed areas to stabilise exposed soil; erecting a 380m-long, 3m-high dust fence to protect neighbouring properties; applying specialised emulsions and binding agents to exposed soil to limit dust movement; and adjusting work schedules to reduce or cease operations on particularly windy days,” said Auria CEO Barry Kaganson

“Despite our best efforts, there have been instances where windy conditions posed challenges, particularly to certain properties that are just a few metres from our construction boundary. We are committed to continuously improving our approach to minimise further disruptions and are engaging with leading national dust control experts for additional insights.” .

The provincial environmental department is concerned construction at the R800m Coral Cove senior living development has contravened management programmes (SANDILE NDLOVU)

Kaganson said the development was in a region known for occasional strong winds, particularly during Spring. “We acknowledge the community’s frustrations and are intensifying efforts to prevent future occurrences. As construction progresses and areas are completed, we anticipate a significant reduction in dust levels.

“At our cost, we also hired professional cleaning services to assist affected residents in managing dust-related issues on their properties. Additionally, we have engaged one of the country’s leading dust control experts to review our mitigation strategies and provide further recommendations.”

Potential penalties for contravening the regulations include a fine of up to R5m or five years’ imprisonment.