Displaying items by tag: Lafarge Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe has appointed Siame Kaulule as its chief executive officer (CEO). Kaulule succeeds Amal Naiel, who has spent five years in the post. Kaulule, a Zambian citizen, joins the company from LafargeHolcim in the UK where he was general manager for retail and has previously served as executive in other European and African markets for the company, according to the Business Report newspaper. He has previously worked as the regional marketing director for the southern Africa cluster including Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi.
Lafarge Zimbabwe sues transport firm
08 October 2018Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe is suing Gramiso Investments for an outstanding debt of over US$200,000. The cement producer and transport company entered into a prepayment agreement in which the cement manufacturing giant advanced US$500,000 to Gramiso Investments, according to the Herald newspaper. However, Gramiso Investments allegedly only paid back just over half of this amount. Lafarge Zimbabwe has taken the lawsuit to the High Court.
Zimbabwe: Edith Matekaire, the commercial director of Lafarge Zimbabwe, has blamed a backlog of foreign currency exchange as the cause of a shortage of cement. The US$2m backlog has caused plant maintenance shutdowns to take longer than they normally would, according to the Herald newspaper. Due to the lack of adequate funding, the shutdowns have been forced to take place during periods of peak production, causing effects in the market.
Despite this, Matekaire said that the local cement sector has more than enough production capacity to meet customers’ needs. Demand is 1.3Mt/yr and cement production is 2.4Mt/yr. Demand is only expected to exceed production from 2020 onwards.
Lafarge Zimbabwe says it can supply the market
14 September 2018Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe says that it is able to supply the market with cement following a shortage. In a statement the subsidiary of LafargeHolcim said that the recent surge in demand was ‘temporary’ and that, overall, the situation was a ‘positive signal of economic growth,’ according to the Chronicle newspaper. It said that the situation might be attributable to a rise in mortgage finance as well as improved disposable income following a successful tobacco and maize farming season on the back of the Command Agriculture Programme.
Cement prices have reportedly risen by over 50% due to the shortage. Producers have blamed her situation on technical problems following maintenance works at their plants. They have also ruled out any further increases in prices. Despite the cement shortage they have warned against trading cement on the black market.
Cement shortages in Zimbabwe
07 September 2018Zimbabwe: Lafarge and PPC are reported to be ‘scrambling’ to contain cement shortages in Zimbabwe. Capacity is down owing to maintenance and operational issues and there have been problems importing some raw materials due to a lack of foreign currency. Shortages of cement and related products have hit the country in the past week, with wholesalers, supermarkets and other retailers running out of stock.
PPC Zimbabwe’s managing director, Kelibone Masiyane, said that the ‘current cement shortage is temporary’ and Lafarge has authorisation to import up to 5000t. Some of this had reportedly come in from Mozambique over the Forbes border crossing.
Lafarge Zimbabwe to expand quarry
15 February 2018Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe is looking to expand its operations as it is set to commence exploratative drilling for lime within the next two months. It already has two mining operations where limestone is extracted at Mbubu in Mashonaland East Province and Sternblick quarry in Harare.
The company told local press that exploratative drilling was anticipated to commence in April 2018. This comes as its environmental impact assessment for limestone exploration drilling in Pfura Rural District was approved. The company has contracted Bumira Environmental Consultants to perform the environmental assessment.
Cash crunch hinders Lafarge Zimbabwe
05 October 2016Zimbabwe: Lafarge Zimbabwe has blamed cash shortages for mounting losses. The company reported that it made a loss of US$2.2m in the first six months of 2016, up from a loss of US$1.3m in the same period of 2015. Its sales revenue grew slightly to US$26.5m from US$25.4, according to the New Zimbabwe newspaper. The cement producer has blamed the loss on cash shortages in the country and competition from imports.
“The volumes of cement sales remained subdued due to increased competitive activity in the total market following the influx of cement imports into the country as well as the entry of a major competitor into the Harare market,” said chairman Kumbirayi Katsande. He added that import restrictions would be helpful but that they would not solve major structural problems with the local economy.
Cash shortages are causing delays in paying foreign creditors said Katsanda. The country is preparing to introduce bond notes, a new local currency, to ease the problem, in November 2016.
Lafarge Zimbabwe posts US$1.97m loss in 2015
25 April 2016Zimbabwe: Lafarge Cement Zimbabwe has reported a loss after tax of US$1.97m year-on-year in 2015. The company blamed it on a sub-optimal portfolio and price mix despite sales volumes growth. Its revenue grew by 2% to US$61.6m from US$60.5m and its cement sales volumes grew by 5%, according to the Herald newspaper.
The subsidiary of LafargeHolcim said that sales volumes were aided by its strategy of targeting distribution better supported by improvements in the local market. However, it added that sellers’ demand for discounts when buying in bulk have adversely affected cement prices. The cement producer expects prices to stay low in 2016 but it will aim for increased profits by cutting operational costs and increasing marketing.
Shonhiwa joins Dangote Group
10 September 2015Nigeria: Former Lafarge Zimbabwe chairman Johnathan Shonhiwa has joined Dangote Group. Shonhiwa, who resigned from Lafarge Zimbabwe recently, was chairman for almost two years after having taken over from Muchadeyi Masunda in January 2014. Prior to that, he was managing director of Lafarge Zimbabwe for six years, finance director for four and a half years and finance manager for two years.