A slightly weaker rand and strong confidence in South Africa’s economy helped push stocks higher on Tuesday, with cement producer PPC surging to an all-time peak. Investors have voted with their wallets on bullish prospects for Africa’s biggest economy due to low inflation and healthy growth, sending shares to record highs last week.  On Tuesday, more good news emerged when the country’s business confidence rose to record levels in September.  The biggest gainer among the blue chips was Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC), surging 2.6 percent to 187 rand, a record high. "The demand for cement is still very, very high, the fundamentals are excellent," Maartens said.