uShaka Marine World
One of Africa’s largest marine theme parks — Sea World, Wet ’n Wild, and uShaka Beach. A short walk from Point Waterfront Apartments.
The neighbourhood · Magazine
Point Waterfront
A managed harbour-side precinct at the entrance to the Port of Durban — canals, beach, uShaka Marine World, and a safety story that makes this stretch of coast different.
“A waterfront city within the city” — not a theme park, and not a generic beach strip.
Point Waterfront sits where Durban’s harbour meets the warm Indian Ocean: roughly 55 hectares of canals, promenades, apartments, and public space. It is managed by the Durban Point Waterfront Management Association (DPWMA)— a non-profit set up so residents, businesses, and guests share one clean, secure, well-kept neighbourhood.
Sense of place
What it feels like to be here
Canals as the spine
When uShaka needed seawater systems returned to the ocean, the canal idea became more than engineering — it became the structure of a whole neighbourhood.
Beach without the drive
Golden sand and warm water are minutes on foot. Many guests leave the car parked for days and walk the promenade instead.
Harbour character
Ships, yachts, and the working port give Point Waterfront a sense of place you don’t get on a sealed-off resort strip.
Safety & management
Why Point Waterfront feels safer
This is one of the strongest reasons guests book — and return. Point Waterfront is not left to chance. Through an arrangement with the city and property owners, DPWMA runs precinct-level management: security, cleaning, landscaping, and the canals.
- State-of-the-art security control room manned 24/7, 365 days a year
- More than 80 high-resolution cameras across the precinct
- Day and night security patrols — including nightly dog patrols
- Cleaning teams and landscaping staff dedicated to public space
- Canal water tested quarterly to keep quality within standards
- Roads, pathways, and shared infrastructure actively maintained
Source: DPWMA about & operations — dpwma.co.za
From inception to today
A long harbour story — and a deliberate comeback
Point Waterfront is not a new invention. It is one of Durban’s oldest edges — port, people, and politics layered for centuries — now being remade as a place to live and stay.
For generations the area was tied to the Port of Durban — Africa’s busiest harbour. Sailors, traders, railways, and later tourism all brushed this narrow stretch between the Bluff and the city.
By the late twentieth century the precinct had largely hollowed out: underused land, empty buildings, and a reputation that did not match the beauty of the site. The turnaround needed a catalyst.
That catalyst was uShaka Marine World. Beyond family entertainment, its seawater systems had to return water to the ocean — which inspired a network of canals as the spine of redevelopment. The vision: extend waterfront living inland through the whole precinct, not only along the beach edge.
Multi-billion-rand plans, public–private partnerships, the cruise terminal, apartments, and ongoing investment all sit on that idea. DPWMA exists so the day-to-day experience — safety, cleanliness, canals — keeps pace with the ambition.
1497
Terra del Natal
Vasco da Gama anchors off this coast — the beginning of Durban’s recorded maritime story.
1835
Port Natal founded
The settlement that becomes Durban takes shape around the harbour that still defines the city.
1860–61
Railway & Vetch’s Pier
South Africa’s first passenger railway links town to harbour. Vetch’s Pier is built — still a landmark on the beachfront today.
1900s
Gandhi’s Durban years
Mahatma Gandhi lived in the Point area. Mahatma Gandhi Road (once Point Road) remains part of the city’s living history.
1940s
The Lady in White
Perla Gibson sang for every ship entering or leaving the harbour — a wartime ritual that still captures Durban’s port soul.
Late 20th c.
Decline
Like many harbour edges worldwide, Point Waterfront suffered decades of underuse and decay — valuable land left largely abandoned.
2003–
Modern revitalisation
uShaka Marine World catalyses a new vision: a waterfront city within the city, with canals, apartments, and managed public space.
Today
A living precinct
Residents, guests, cafés, canals, and the beach share a precinct run for safety and quality of life — with more development still unfolding.
Vision
Live, work, and play on the water — with heritage intact
DPWMA’s stated vision is an inspiring, multicultural destination that builds investment confidence and mixes business with leisure — without erasing what makes the place real. Sustainability, heritage, and innovation are meant to sit side by side.
For a guest at Point Waterfront Apartments, that translates simply: you stay inside a neighbourhood that is still becoming — but already works. Beach mornings. Canal evenings. uShaka when you want a full day out. Maha Café when you don’t want to cook.
A clean, safe, flourishing environment for everyone who lives, works, visits, and invests here.
Read more on dpwma.co.za
Do & book
Experiences around Point Waterfront
Most of this is walkable from the apartments. Where we can, we link you straight to official pages so you can plan or book.
Beach & Golden Mile
Warm Indian Ocean water, surfing, and the long promenade that runs toward North Beach. South Beach and Vetch’s Pier are on your doorstep.
The canals
Scenic waterways through the precinct — leisurely walks, fish in the shallows, and gondola rides when operating. The canals are the spine of Point Waterfront.
Harbour & cruise terminal
Africa’s busiest port at the entrance of the precinct. The Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal brings ships and visitors into a lively tourism hub.
Maha Café
Breakfast and lunch at Point Waterfront Apartments — fresh local plates for in-house guests and visitors to The Point Waterfront.
Promenade & water sports
Walkways and cycle routes connect the precinct to the wider beachfront. Water sports clubs nearby cover sailing, paddling, and more.
Practical
Useful numbers
Where
Point Waterfront, Durban — harbour entrance, canals, and beach within a walkable precinct.
Precinct management
DPWMA — dpwma.co.za
Tel: +27 31 332 1099
Your stay
Point Waterfront Apartments · +27 82 817 2957
Maha Café: Monday – Sunday · 06:00 – 16:00
Book the apartments
Check live availability and book direct — or ask us which view and size fits your trip.
Book Now
Stay inside the story
Book Point Waterfront Apartments — serviced self-catering homes in the middle of this precinct — and use the canals, beach, and uShaka as your front yard.