Cement News tagged under: Southern Africa

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PPC not to raise capital and focus on growth

29 September 2021, Published under Cement News

South Africa-based PPC has successfully refinanced its debt and is close to finalising its restructuring. Therefore, the company will not require a capital raise, said its CEO, Roland van Wijnen. The new debt facilities of ZAR2.1bn have an extended maturity profile with the long-term facility of ZAR1.5bn being repayable over 3-5 years. The margins were reduced across all facilities to reflect PPC’s improved credit risk profile. “The organisation is now in calmer seas after a hectic 18 mo...

Cement sales stabilise in South Africa in the 3Q20

08 June 2021, Published under Cement News

Sales of cementitious products in South Africa edged up 0.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2020 to 3,457,438t when compared with 3,447,822t in the 3Q19, according to Levitt Kirson Business Services Pty Ltd. This followed a 42.5 per cent YoY drop in the 2Q20, when dispatches declined to 1,877,298t from 3,264,718t in the 2Q19. Sales in the 9M20 reached 7.719Mt, down 19.7 per cent when compared with the 9M19, when sales reached 9.619Mt. Full-year sales in 2019 fell seven per cent to 12.726...

Zambezi Portland Cement produces 1.2Mt

04 June 2021, Published under Cement News

Output from Zambia-based Zambezi Portland Cement reached 1.2Mta following the EUR23m capacity expansion project at the Ndola plant, which has seen an extra 100 staff employed. Zambezi Portland Cement CEO, Gomeli Litana, said the increase would help meet the growing demand for the product in both local and regional markets, according to the Times of Zambia.

Sino Energy International eyes Mozambican cement plant

23 November 2020, Published under Cement News

China-based Sino Energy International Holdings Group Ltd has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sino-Harbor Construction Group (Hong Kong) Ltd for the acquisition of a 65 per cent stake in a 0.4Mta cement plant in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, according to its statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Sino Energy now has 120 days to review the plant’s accounts before deciding whether to sign a definitive purchase agreement, reports CE Noticias Financieras. Si...

PPC settles cement cartel case

16 November 2020, Published under Cement News

PPC has reached a settlement agreement with South Africa’s Competition Tribunal on the cement cartel case, bringing the 12-year matter to a close, reports Business Weekly. The agreement comes after the competition launched a probe into anti-competitive behaviour in the cement industry in 2008. PPC, along with competitors LafargeHolcim, AfriSam and Natal Portland Cement Cimphor (NPC), allegedly agreed to divide the South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia markets in 1995. The ...

PPC sees group revenue decline 2% YoY

16 October 2020, Published under Cement News

South Africa-based PPC has seen its group revenue decline two per cent YoY to ZAR10.241bn (US$618.23m) in the year ending 31 March 2020, compared with ZAR10.494bn in the previous year. Excluding Zimbabwe, revenue fell seven per cent from ZAR9.047bn to ZAR8.380bn, mainly due to a decline in revenues from South Africa cement. Furthermore, the company posted a loss of ZAR2.39bn in the FY19-20 against a ZAR162m profit in the year-ago period. Cost of sales declined three per cent YoY to ZAR8.2...

Eswatini faces cement shortage

28 August 2020, Published under Cement News

Significant players in Eswatini’s construction industry have seen projects stall due to a cement shortage, according to The Swazi Observer. Nhlanhla Dlamini, CEO of the Construction Industry Council, has announced that a meeting was convened with the association of builders, manufacturers and suppliers to deliberate on the issue. "We are aware of the cement shortage which has been caused by shortage of supplies’ due to COVID-19 which led to the lockdown," said Mr Dlamini. In the short ...

Namibia’s cement sales affected by COVID-19

17 August 2020, Published under Cement News

The lack of economic activity due to the coronavirus pandemic has affected cement sales by Ohorongo Cement, said Frankleen Alberts, the company’s customer relations and public affairs manager. “Cement sales have been affected since the outbreak of the virus. We were able to continue supplying our Namibian market without major interruptions while adhering to the regulations under the state of emergency. However, due to the restrictions and quarantine rules by neighbouring countries, our exp...

PPC considers restructuring and refinancing options

14 August 2020, Published under Cement News

Following reports that South Africa’s PPC was looking to raise ZAR1.25bn (US$71.51m) from a rights issue, the company has stated that it is currently in talks with lenders before taking any action. It also noted that its requirement to restructure and refinance the group was primarily a result of its investment in PPC Barnet (Democratic Republic of Congo), according to Business Day. While the company was considering a rights issue, the timing and size of it is dependent on several factors...

South African cement sector is operating in survival mode

13 July 2020, Published under Cement News

Bheki Mthembu, head of the inland business unit of PPC, says the lack of large-scale construction projects in South Africa has left cement producers heavily dependent on residential construction. "The sector has had issues for a while and government needs to support us through infrastructure maintenance and other projects. We were in survival mode and COVID-19 almost served as the final nail in the coffin," said Bheki Mthembu. "There is a very small piece of cake that everyone ...