uMhlanga Lighthouse

About uMhlanga Lighthouse

The uMhlanga Lighthouse is a 21-metre-tall circular concrete tower located on the beach in uMhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal. Completed in November 1954 to replace the decommissioned Durban North lighthouse, the automated structure took just four days and nineteen hours to build on its solid rock foundation. The tower is instantly recognizable by its distinctive red-and-white painted exterior and is officially managed by the adjacent Oyster Box Hotel, which houses the controls and monitoring alarms for the light.

Operating with a fully automated, 810,000-candlepower main electric light, the tower emits three flashes every 20 seconds that are visible up to 24 nautical miles out to sea. Additionally, a fixed subsidiary red light shines lower on the structure, serving as a critical safety warning for ships waiting to enter Durban Harbour; if mariners can see the red light, it indicates that their vessel is drifting too close to the hazardous shore. While the interior of the landmark is closed to the general public, it stands directly on the popular uMhlanga Promenade as a fully operational navigational aid for the South African coast