The Green Point lighthouse celebrated its 200th anniversary on Friday April 12, becoming the oldest lighthouse on the South African coast.
Captain Sabelo Mdlalose, the lighthouse’s executive manager, joined the Green Point crew on April 1, and the former harbour master who completed his maritime studies at Technikon Natal in 1996 said he was proud to be part of this historical landmark.
“It’s a national asset, it has value as a heritage building and it has a rich history. It’s an important structure as it serves as a navigational structure for the ships going in and out of the harbour, ships can check their positions using this lighthouse as a reference point for safety,” said Captain Mdlalose who is a former harbour master for the port of Cape Town as well as Richards Bay and Durban.
The lighthouse’s revolving electric light (with 850 000 candle power) at the top of the 16-metre building, flashes every 10 seconds and has a range of 25 nautical miles.
The 200 year old structure adheres to the rules of the International Maritime Organization as well as the International Association of Lighthouses.
“The main objective of these organisation is to harmonise the way navigation aids are maintained and controlled all over the world. So what they do in China is the same thing they do in Europe and here as well, so we use the same format internationally and it’s important for safety,” he said.
The building is maintained by a crew of 20 people, and close to 80 technicians service 43 other lighthouses around South Africa’s coast.
Anroux Marias, MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport, said the structure is in excellent condition both inside and out.
“This building, she really wears her age very well. I want to say that this is a beacon of hope for Cape Town and the light brings the people safely to the shore. There are big ships like the Queen Mary 2 in the harbour right now which was guided by this old lady. I’m very proud of how this lighthouse was and is maintained,” Ms Marais said.
Eddie Andrews, the deputy mayor, believes that because the lighthouse is such an important landmark for mariners, it adds enormous value to the neighbourhood.
“It’s important that we understand why the grand old dame or Moaning Minnie as she is commonly known, why she is 200 years old, it speaks to our history regarding the Dutch East India Company as well. It’s a celebration of our cultural heritage, the promenade is an important node for us and then we have the urban park that is an important precinct for the locals and visitors to enjoy, and this lighthouse is in the middle of it all,” Mr Andrews said.
“This building has been well preserved and it’s fully operational so well done to Transnet for maintaining it, not bad for a 200 year old dame,” he said.
Nicola Jowell, councillor for Ward 54, believes that people take the history and value of such sites for granted, as they (including herself) frequently drive by without visiting the lighthouse.
“Everything is so well preserved, at a time when everything is so disposable and there’s always new buildings coming up and we disregard things that are considered old, you look at this and you see how much TLC goes into this building as well as the 43 other sites. This lighthouse is always part of images you see about Cape Town and it’s so good to see it being celebrated,” said Ms Jowell.
