SA cement sales up

South African cement sales grew by 6.6% in 2007 to a record 13.252 million tons (Mt), data supplied by the Cement and Concrete Institute showed on Friday.

This followed a 11.0% rise in 2006, a 11.6% gain in 2005, a 17.4% surge in 2004 and a 7.0%climb in 2003.

The 2010 Soccer World Cup stadia, some new dams and the Gautrain project should add to cement demand in the current year.

An interesting observation is that the three largely rural areas of the Eastern Cape, Border/Transkei and Northern Cape are above the industrial and urban heartland province of Gauteng in the growth table.

For 2007 compared with 2006, the percentage changes for the country and 11 regions were as follows: Eastern Cape 13.2%, Northern Cape 12.5%; Border/Transkei 12.2%; Gauteng 10.4%; Southern KwaZulu-Natal 8.7%; Mpumalanga 7.3%; National 6.6%; Free State 4.6%; North West 2.5%; Northern KwaZulu-Natal 1.2%; Limpopo 0.1%; and Western Cape -1.7%.

Exports rose by 20.9% to 1.405 Mt to bring the total sales for South African cement producers to 15.529 Mt, a 7.7% rise on 2006.