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Midlands Correspondent
CHINESE investor, Mortal Investments Manufacturing Company expects to complete construction of its $10 million cement plant in Redcliff this month.

The company commenced construction of the facilty in August after buying 100 000 square metres of land from the municipality.

Redcliff Municipality mayor Cllr Fred Kapuya told Business Chronicle that the test run of the plant is set to begin at the end of the month while commissioning would be done at the end of the year.

“We expect to have the cement plant being opened at the end of October, which is one of the massive investments in Redcliff in the last 10 years. They are doing the final touches now and we expect them to do the test run of the plant at the end of this month because they want to beat the rains that is why they want the plant completed end of this month,” he said.

“From my discussions with them commissioning of the plant would be done at the end of the year and over 400 people will be employed at the cement plant.”

The new cement company will use slag — a by-product of smelted iron ore. Slag is a major component in the manufacturing of
Portland cement.  The cement is manufactured from chalk and clay, which hardens under water.

Cllr Kapuya said as part of the deal, council gave the company rebates, which will see Mortal Investments go for three years without paying
rates save for service charges, which include water and sewer reticulation charges.

The cement company is expected to stimulate economic growth in the town, which has suffered massive deindustrialisation since the closure of Ziscosteel in 2008.

Mortal Investments becomes the fourth player in the country’s cement sector after Pretoria Portland Cement, Lafarge and Sino Zimbabwe Cement Company.

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