July cement sales climb 7.6% on building boom
Cement sales in the Southern African Customs Union rose 7,6% in July as Murray & Roberts Holdings and other builders accelerated work on roads and other infrastructure needed for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Sales in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland rose to 1,38m metric tons from 1.2Mt a year earlier, Cement & Concrete Institute Marketing Manager John Sheath said in an interview yesterday.
Government has awarded more contracts for roads, stadiums and rail projects needed for the world cup, which it’s hosting for the first time. Cement purchases by civil engineering companies such as Murray & Roberts have climbed 22% this year, almost double the pace of the wider market, Sheath said.
"It’s very much non-residential activity and infrastructure spending by the government," Sheath said. Published under Cement News
