Port Elizabeth Lighthouse Broken Into
By Sue Clark on Feb 14, 2008 in News 
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Another Vandalism At a Lighthouse
And from another part of the world comes news of a break in with vandalism to an iconic lighthouse. This one comes from South Africa. The Donkin Reserve Lighthouse, Port Elizabeth, had two of its windows smashed and burglar bars bent as thieves broke in and stole a computer. Apparently they had enough time to break one window, bend the bars, and discovered they couldn’t easily get in due to boxes piled up inside. So they then went to a second window where they succeeded in their illegal entry.
Security Measures Defeated
Security measures were in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening, but ooops, the CCTV security cameras have been broken for the past two years. Even worse, Connie Buso, spokesperson for Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, did not know who was responsible for the maintenance on the cameras. Buso also said that a burglar alarm and security staff will now guard the building until the windows and bars can be replaced. It sounds to be a case of too little, too late.
Nelson Mandela Bay spokesman Kupido Baron said: “The incident is of great concern as the municipality certainly wants its assets to be retained. An investigation will be undertaken.”
One would think that a landmark tourist attraction would be a little better protected, especially since it houses sensitive equipment. And let’s hope they find the perpetrators and punish them to the full extent of the law. And not the least, get their act together and find out who let those cameras stay broken.
The Lighthouse Story
Built high on a hill behind the harbor in 1861, the light was decommissioned in 1973 and replaced by a skeletal tower at the coast. The original light was substantially rebuilt around 1930, raised to 86 feet tall, the buttresses added and served faithfully until the Deal Light took over guidance duties. The keeper’s house now houses the city’s tourist information center. The tower, a popular tourist destination, is open for climbing. Near the light is a sandstone pyramid built by the city’s founder, Sir Rufane Donkin, as a memorial to his wife, Elizabeth.
Solutions, Anyone?
No matter what corner of the world our lighthouses are in, they are vulnerable to vandalism and theft. It behooves the caretakers of these lights to protect them by any means possible. At the very least, keep the measures you’ve already put in place in working order.
Photo Credit: Donkin Lighthouse by Nick Boalch. Some rights reserved.
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More About Vandalism
February 15th, 2008 at 1:12 am
The Donkin has a working alarm system and it was working during the time of the burglery. The security company is investigating what caused the alarm not to activate. The break in was into the offices of NMBT and not the lighthouse. NMBT has done all it can to protect it’s offices and fortunetly no damage was done to any features that can not be replaced.
February 15th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Thank you for the further insight into this incident, Erenei. I certainly hope the police catch whoever did it. I am so glad the lighthouse itself wasn’t damaged this time, and let’s all hope it never is.