Umhlali

History

The village of Umhlali, was established by British and Scottish Byrne settlers in 1850 and was originally Fort William, as it was the site of a fort. It was later renamed Umhlali which is the Zulu name for the Monkey Orange tree, which grew plentifully along the banks of the uMhlali River but it was also locally referred to it as the “place of waiting” because settlers and locals would have to wait on the banks before crossing the river on a northward journey. At that time, the nearby coastal town of Ballito was a small coastal village consisting of a few beach shacks whilst Umhlali was the hub of the farming community with the heart of the village being the bustling main road (the current R102 route) consisting of a bank, post office, supermarket, hairdresser, car dealership, farmers’ co-op and the Lali Hotel. Until the new retail developments launched in Ballito, Umhlali was initially one of the only places in the Dolphin Coast locally to buy groceries, collect post, do banking, fill up with petrol and go to school. A significant landmark in Umhlali, Umhlali Preparatory School, which opened its doors on 11 February 1918, still exists alongside the R102 main road and is still a highly esteemed and popular school on the Dolphin Coast today.

Geography

Located in the hilly countryside, Umhlali lies just south of the uMhlali River after which it is named after. The village is positioned approximately 3 km south of Shakaskraal (north of the uMhlali River), 3 km west of the coastal village of Salt Rock and 9 km north-west of the coastal town of Ballito. Umhlali also forms part of the Dolphin Coast which incorporates Ballito, Shaka’s Rock, Salt Rock, Sheffield Beach, Tinley Manor Beach, Zinkwazi Beach and Shakaskraal.

Most-observed species

• Hadada Ibis

  Bostrychia hagedash (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  1,551
• Red-eyed Dove

  Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves
  1,442
• Egyptian Goose

  Alopochen aegyptiaca (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,323
• Village Weaver

  Ploceus cucullatus (Statius Muller, 1776) · Aves
  1,311
• Red-winged Starling

  Onychognathus morio (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  1,267
• Black-collared Barbet

  Lybius torquatus (Dumont, 1805) · Aves
  1,238
• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,233
• Spectacled Weaver

  Ploceus ocularis A.Smith, 1828 · Aves
  1,145

Most recent

• M 4.6 — 2022-11-05
  44 km NNE of Greytown, South Africa
• M 3.7 — 2016-02-06
  South Africa
• M 4.3 — 2015-06-16
  19 km ESE of Sundumbili, South Africa