Chinese cement producer Mortal Investments Manufacturing Company is constructing a $10 million plant in Redcliff with capacity to employ about 400 employees, while producing 1 MT/yr. Its arrival in Zimbabwe is expected to intensify competition in the market dominated by Lafarge Cement and Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC). It will be the second cement producer to invest in the Midlands Province, after Sino Zimbabwe Cement, which is located just outside Gweru.
For a town battling high unemployment levels following the closure of its major source of jobs – the Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (ZISCO) – the new project will add life to the town. Redcliff is strategically located for cement producers given its proximity to significant quantities of slag from ZISCO. Mortal’s interest in Zimbabwe comes a year after Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote announced that Dangote Cement would set up a $400 million plant in the country, as part of its pan-African expansion strategy.