Construction SMEs are facing another cost and quality headache as substandard cement finds its way onto hardware shelves, raising concerns about failed building work, extra costs and unfair competition against businesses that comply with required standards.
The problem comes as small contractors, concrete-product manufacturers, and other businesses in the construction value chain deal with rising material, fuel and transport costs while working on tight margins.
The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) is investigating complaints involving cement that has failed compulsory requirements, including minimum strength levels.
The consequences can be serious when poor-quality cement is used on a construction site. A contractor could face wasted materials, additional labour, delays, and the cost of fixing work that has already been completed.
“Our CPM customers generally operate on very thin margins and their position looks likely to get more difficult,” said Mike McDonald, manager of AfriSam’s Centre for Product Excellence.
McDonald said manufacturers also need to look beyond their basic cost-per-unit calculations and identify hidden costs such as breakages and material wastage.
These costs can quickly reduce the profit on a project.
Pressure to cut costs
Rising costs are also making decisions around construction materials more important.
Concrete products rely on several inputs, including cement, sand, aggregates, fly ash, slag, and admixtures. Adele Wentzel, sales manager, Cement Manufacturing Gauteng at AfriSam, said each material needs to be assessed properly before it is used.
“Substituting materials to reduce costs can introduce significant variability if not properly evaluated,” Wentzel said.
The concern extends to cement produced by smaller blenders.
Frank Makamo, CEO of South African All Brothers Products and System Certification (SABPS), said monitoring had identified cases of substandard cement.
Three operations were shut down after non-compliant cement was identified, according to Makamo.
The products are also reaching hardware stores, including those serving rural and township communities. This creates another risk because customers and small builders may choose cheaper cement without knowing whether it meets the required standard.
A cheaper bag can therefore become an expensive mistake.
If a contractor uses cement that fails to achieve the required strength, the business may have to return to the site, buy additional materials and spend more hours fixing the work. The damage can also extend to the contractor’s reputation.
Industry pushes for a fairer market
The cement quality concerns come after the closure of Cement & Concrete SA (CCSA), an industry body that provided technical support, training and independent assistance to the construction sector.
CCSA closed in April 2024 after the four major domestic cement producers withdrew their funding, leading to the retrenchment of 16 employees. Quantum Readymix Concrete MD Calvin Billett described the closure as a loss to the industry, warning that the loss of independent testing and technical support could contribute to more structural failures.
Billett said CCSA and its predecessor organisations helped resolve problems when cement or concrete failed on construction sites, while also providing training and technical capacity to the industry.
The major cement producers are now working towards establishing a new industry body.
PPC CEO Matias Cardarelli said the proposed body would address imported cement dumping, low-quality cement produced by blenders, carbon taxes affecting local clinker producers and challenges involving Eskom and Transnet.
AfriSam sales and marketing executive Richard Tomes also confirmed that producers were working on a plan, including continued engagement with the International Trade Administration Commission around dumped imports and tariff protection.
The issue affects more than cement manufacturers. Small contractors, concrete-product manufacturers and hardware businesses all depend on building materials that perform as expected.
AfriSam says better production monitoring can help manufacturers identify problems before they affect the finished product. Temperature, humidity, curing conditions and batching accuracy can all influence quality, while even small inconsistencies can affect strength development and production timelines, McDonald said.
