Portland Holdings Limited, PPC’s Zimbabwe subsidiary, has announced its intention to construct a new cement plant to service the Harare and central Mozambique markets. The new plant will have a capacity of approximately one million tons of cement per annum and will coincide with the construction of a separate grinding facility in the neighbouring territory of Tete in Mozambique. Ketso Gordhan, the CEO of PPC said in Harare today, “In recent years our investment in Zimbabwe has shown strong growth on the back of a more buoyant and stable economy. This together with the fact that PPC has received an indigenisation certificate makes us optimistic about the future of the economy and the country as a whole.”

This announcement was made during the PHL’s centenary celebrations in Harare today. PHL was first registered as a company on 6 February 1913 and, similar to its parent company in South Africa, hasfor 100 years been an integral part of Zimbabwe’s infrastructure development. Its core cement brand, Unicem, can be found in virtually every key structure in the region from the Harare International Airport to the mighty walls of Kariba Dam. “The construction of additional cement capacity will ensure that PPC continues to be a key player in the development of infrastructure in Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries. It is totally in line with our stated strategy of growing our non-South African revenue from the current 21% to at least 40% by 2016”, adds Gordhan.

The preliminary study for a new plant in the Mashonaland province is at an advanced stage, and significant investment has already been made in exploration drilling at various locations. PPC hasdedicated resources in Zimbabwe and this, together with support from PPC’s head office, will now commence with a full scale feasibility study including the selection of an equipment supplier. Zak Limbada, the MD of PHL, said “Not only will this investment address the expected future increase in cement demand in Zimbabwe, but create employment opportunities, beneficiation of the country’s mineral reserves, and a significant growth opportunity for our indigenisation partners.”