Zimbabwe: PPC threaten shutdown over cheap cement imports

Darryl Castle, PPC chief executive, has told the Zimbabwean government to curb imports of cement, or his company will close its mining operations in the country and import finished cement from South Africa.

According to Bulawayo 24 News, cement producers in Zimbabwe are pushing the government to lower duty on raw material imports and to cancel – or at least review – all current import permits.

The government has said it will impose a tariff of US$100/t on imported cement effective from 1 October 2016.

In a presentation to analysts, PPC also said that its new 0.7Mta mill in Harare is 94 per cent complete. The company has saved money by moving 67 employees from its Bulawayo facility to the new plant, reducing the number of new staff it needs to recruit to just 30.