1961Milnerton joined the National Botanical Society with its headquarters at Kirstenbosch for a fee of five pounds a year.
1961The municipality purchased portraits of early mayors WJ Savage and P Vlok and paid 21 pounds to clean, polish and re-upholster the mayoral chair.
1962The siting of the Caltex refinery on Koeberg Road near Killarney was finalised. Greedy Cape Town eyes saw the refinery as a major source of income and wanted the land to be aligned to Cape Town but Milnerton won the day saying it would suffer the most impact from the refinery and would have to provide the services.
1962Milnerton made approaches to Dr Nico Malan, Administrator of the Cape to incorporate Table View into Milnerton. Malan’s initial response was unfavourable, but later, despite objections from some Milnerton quarters, a part of Table View was incorporated into the municipality. Resident G Potgieter was given permission to ring birds for environmental records.
1963A municipal building was mooted. The municipality was being run from a cluster of houses on the corner of Union Avenue and Indwe Road. Mayor Julius Gelb proposed that the whole of the playing fields site in Pienaar Road, except that the part needed the high school, be set-aside for civic purposes.
1963Milnerton Estates laid out a new industrial township at first named Heatherton, then Milnerton Industrial Township and later to be known as Metro Industrial Township.
1963The government was considering a fishing harbour at Paarden Eiland and Milnerton lodged requests that if this materialized, proper and adequate safeguards be employed against coastal erosion, the silting of Milnerton’s lagoon mouth, traffic problems and problems and obnoxious trades. The fishing harbour never materialized but the container dock built later had a big impact on the natural environment of the town.
1963A traffic survey in Milnerton warned against indiscriminate erection of stop signs which were said to lull motorists into a false sense of security in that they would not reduce speed at intersections; instead the unpopular practice of constructing “dish channels “ at intersections to slow down the traffic was perpetuated. Some of these "dish channels" are still in evidence in the older parts of Milnerton.
1963The demolition of the old railway station was mooted but deferred until later when a commemorative plaque was erected in its place. The plaque can still be seen between Otto du Plessis Drive and Union Avenue near Unitas Park.
1964Three hundred and forty rand was spent on a silver mayoral chain and R120 for a chain for the deputy mayor. A coat of arms was commissioned mounted on wood, the whole costing R42.50.
1964Plans were drawn up for the new municipal offices with 10 000 square feet of space. Two loans of R200 000 were taken from Cape Town to fund this.
1964Work started on tarring the roads in Table View.
1965Tenders were advertised for 300 wooden houses to be built in a new suburb east of Milnerton where 4000 homes were planned. Initially named Bosmansdam, the name of the suburb was later changed to Bothasig after the then Minister of Community Development and later Prime Minister PW Botha.
1965Table View Residents Association sent a deputation comprising JP Bester, SF Streicher and AL Ritchie to see Mayor Julius Gelb to ask for a different rates base from Milnerton because of a lack of bus service, schools and doctors in the town. Despite doubts about the value of Table View property the proposal was rejected. Later the council, in order to encourage building in Table View, raised rates on undeveloped erven as if they had improvements on them.
1965A meeting was held to discuss the provision of library services.
1965Milnerton was formally declared a “White Area” with beaches reserved for Europeans.
1965On May 18 Milnerton set a precedent by setting aside half a mile of beach south of the lagoon mouth for use by Coloureds and further hosted the Western Province Coloured Golf Championships on Milnerton Golf Course on February 8 and 9.
1966By this time municipal valuation stood at R12-million.
1966February saw the roof wetting of the new municipal buildings and in July a formal inauguration was held. The council adopted gowns and the wearing of chains and badges for formal meetings.
1966The recent election had roused great interest, as there were now eight councilors.
1966A new electronic accounting machine was purchased.
1966The Montague Gardens Industrial Township was laid out.
1966Mayor F Kotze voiced a plea against the banning of a coloured township for Milnerton because a ban would place a handicap on the industrial development of the town.
1966Bothasig was incorporated into Milnerton.
1967Municipal valuation increased to R27-million.
1967Land of 1610 morgen in extent north of Table View was incorporated into Milnerton.
1967Construction started for two rail-over-road bridges at Bellville and Bothasig costing R1-million for Milnerton Estates railway line to serve the Caltex Petrochemical Complex and Fisons Fertiliser Works.
1967In August Major General Frank Theron died. A distinguished soldier, he was honoured for the services he gave to Milnerton in particular through Milnerton Ratepayers Association.
1968A Public Library opened its doors in Milnerton on July 1 although it was housed in a room in the municipal buildings.
1969Plans for houses in Table View were being submitted at the rate of six or seven a month, but they were spread over a huge area – 250 houses over 2 300 plots – making services difficult to render. The municipality provided leads to water mains and surfaced the streets with a semi permanent layer.
1969Against public opposition Table View’s commonage was subdivided into 160 plots and the sale of these provided money for storm water, drainage, sewerage and improved water reticulation.
1969W Adams undertook to clear plots at R10 a plot but by the following year the fee had gone up to R15.
1970A post office was established in Table View.
1970The phenomenon of high-rise buildings invaded Milnerton and the 10-storey block Arnhem was built at the corner of Loxton and Ascot Roads. Others, Walborough, Palo Alto and Atlantica followed soon afterwards along Ascot Road and Union Avenue.
