Page 100 - Bulletin 11 2007

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musical accompaniment suited to the action on the screen – slow for romantic scenes
and rapid for action scenes – much to the delight of the audience. “The ‘Electric

Theatre’ at Muizenberg was one of the first permanent cinemas in South Africa
presenting both films and variety shows.” (Gutsche, 1972).

Electricity generated by Royal Road was rather less than anticipated because the new
Osram metallic filament streetlights were fitted instead of the originally planned carbon

filament type. The metallic filament lamps used only one-third the power of the carbon
type. Private consumers also began to change to the new type and this brought about a

reduction in sales of from 1,094 units per month in 1908 to only 713 in 1909, in spite of
the increase in the number of consumers. In order to increase sales, the Municipality

reduced the minimum charge from 10s. per month to 5s. For consumers using over 300

units per month the price was lowered to 9d. per unit. (In today’s rand and cents this
works out to R22,50 for 300 units. We now pay almost R150 for this quantity, but nine-

pence in those days was a lot more than 46 cents today.)

By 1910 there was talk of Kalk Bay and Muizenberg amalgamating with the

Municipality of Cape Town. The Kalk Bay scheme was being run at a loss to the
ratepayers. The engineers Edlin and Stevenson, who originally supplied electricity at

Rondebosch, had been taken over by the Cape Peninsula Lighting Co. and their
Concessions in Mowbray, Rondebosch and Claremont were due to lapse on 31

December 1912 and in Wynberg on 12 September 1912. The Cape Town Municipality

acquired the Concessions and plant of the Cape Peninsula Lighting Co. as from January
1912, with the exception of the Wynberg lighting system. Satisfactory contracts were

made with Mowbray, Rondebosch and Claremont for a continuation of supplies.

Wynberg, however, had other ideas. Duncan Taylor, Mayor of Wynberg, was a major
share-holder in the Cape Peninsula Lighting Co. and had made arrangements for the

Wynberg Council to take over all the electrical installations within the municipal area.

Tenders were called for a bulk supply from the Cape Town Corporation and from Kalk
Bay Municipality. The Kalk Bay tender was accepted in spite of strong objections from