Housing in Southern Africa July 2016

Industry Buzz

AfriSam partners with Royal Bafokeng

A s the leading black-controlled construction materials group in southern Africa, AfriSam is committed to enabling economic de- velopment on the African continent. It believes in contributing in a sustain- able andmeaningful manner to com- munities surrounding its operations. New Business Consulting, com- prising a number of entities including local entrepreneurs, awomen-owned company as well as the B-BBEE Makgotla Trust representing 2 000 members, strives to empower mining communities through its economic development model in the North West Province. As part of the MoU, a number of enterprise development opportuni- ties within the Bafokeng area have been identified and are currently being investigated. Amongst these is the establishment of containers as cement sales outlets as well as a premix bagged product manufactur- ing facility. The goal is to establish sustainable local enterprise devel- opment businesses that will directly benefit the Bafokeng people. “All the projects we have identified strongly align with, and support, the strategic objectives and enterprise development goals of the Royal Bafokeng Group and should create shared value for all parties involved, including the local community”, says Roshni Lawrence, Strategic Growth Executive at AfriSam. Cement and construction related

AfriSam and New Business Consulting, a 100% Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Bafokeng-owned company, recently signed aMemorandumof Understanding (MoU), cementing a partnership to create job opportunities and enterprise development.

Back row from left to right: Ian Venter (MD of Royal Bafokeng Enterprise Development), Moss Ramatja (New Business Consulting), Itu Diala (Women Group of New Business Consulting) Damaria Masilo (Women Group of New Business Consulting). Front row from left to right: Gerhard Maree (AfriSam), Roshni Lawrence (Strategic Growth Executive, AfriSam), Ernest Mogopodi (Chairman of New Business Consulting) and Kgosana Phillimon Rabyae (Tau Bashiga Community Development Trust).

for local communities through its community upliftment initiatives and by providing employment op- portunities. AfriSamhas an extensive network of cement, aggregate and readymix operations, which enables the com- pany to play an active role in the growth and development of most regions in southern Africa. ■ interest and SAPMA intends ap- proaching government to improve the local coatings industry.” SAPMA Vice-Chairman, Sanjeev Bhatt, said that the sector increasingly had to resort toconsolidations inorder to survive and cited the problems of the rand’s fluctuating exchange rate. He urged companies to invest in data quality and analyses to help control, predict and mitigate risks. SAPMA Administrator, Mandy Linossi reports that the association has 110 paint manufacturers over 1 200 hardware and paint retail mem- bers, and associate membership is also continuing to grow. However, the number of paint contractors has dropped as some companies are no longer in business. Further information contact 011 615 1195 or go to www.sapma.org.za

products are a fundamental require- ment for infrastructure development and broader economic growth. It is for this reason that AfriSam is proud of the positive contribution it can make to society through the products it manufactures. In addition to its products, Afri- Sam’s geographical footprint also enables the company to create value

C hairman of the SA Paint Manu- facturing Association (SAPMA) Terry Ashmore says the dump- ing of questionable paint imports into South Africa could have a negative Questionable paint imports Addressing SAPMA’s annual general meeting recently, Ashmore said that in view of the challenging local conditions for paint manufactur- ers, the threat of increased imports of ‘variable quality paint from less regulated countries’ could have a negative impact on profitability and lead to job losses. effect on the local paint manufacturing sector.

This will continue to make things difficult for the local industry until intra-African custom tariffs are bal- anced. “If not, there will be increased foreign interest and investment into South Africa’s northern neighbours, which could easily divide sub-Saha- ran into three trading zones: eastern, western and southern. This would not be in our best

Terry Ashmore

July 2016