SA Affordable Housing March - April 2020 // ISSUE: 81 | Page 17

FEATURE
Development is impossible
without infrastructure
By Eamonn Ryan
Cement and brick production and consumption is a reliable indicator of a
nation’s growth, as its infrastructure is a reflection of development.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT CONCRETE
According to Bryan Perrie, Managing Director of The Concrete
Institute (TCI), “Without infrastructure, development is
impossible, and without concrete, infrastructure is
unachievable. Looking at future trends of the concrete sector,
there are five interlinked focus areas: jobs, training,
infrastructure, transformation, and sustainability.
“The cement sector has a long history of building and
developing the country. The government needs to make good
on its commitment to development, including the support and
recognition of the manufacturing industries.
Cheap imported cement affects the demand for locally-
produced material to such an extent that South African
manufacturers are considering mothballing plants and
retrenching staff.
HCS are reinforced or pre-stressed concrete slabs, comprising
cores that extend the full length of the elements.
www.saaffordablehousing.co.za
A
lthough precast hollow-core flooring has been
available locally for the past 30 years, the potential
for further growth, especially in affordable housing, is
considerable. One of the main reasons for this is that
hollow-core flooring provides for large, open spans and
flexibility of application. It also allows for structures which
are safe and quicker to erect.
The technology is particularly suited to residential and
apartment buildings. Speed of construction and a reduced
formwork requirement are great benefits and the advantage
in terms of overall cost savings is a major consideration.
Another benefit is that by the time such structures reach the
fifth floor, services and other trades are already working on
the first and second floors.
Various elements are transported to site where they are lifted
directly from truck trailers and placed on top of the load-bearing
walls using a mobile crane.
“Despite stagnation in the construction industry over recent
years which has seen civil engineers being retrenched and
engineering graduates struggling to find jobs, there are signs
the sector is recovering and will continue to do so in 2020,”
says Perrie.
THE REAL THREAT OF USING SUB-STANDARD CEMENT
The cement industry is seen as a good indicator of a country’s
economic growth as it is the key input material in
infrastructure, development and much like the rest of the
modern world, the foundation of South Africa is built on this
premise. Yet, according to Njombo Lekula, Managing Director
of PPC RSA, sub-standard cement products are threatening
the built environment industry and placing South African lives
at risk. Usage of sub-standard cement has various
implications that may negatively affect the sustainability of
buildings and structures thereby leading to increased repair
or maintenance costs, injuries and fatalities due to structural
failures or collapse.
During a normal market surveillance exercise whereby
competitors’ products were all tested for comparison, PPC
found that some products supplied by cement producers were
sub-standard and warranted further investigation.
In an effort to protect the greater South African cement
industry and consumer, PPC appointed Beton-Lab, a South
African National Accreditation System (SANAS) accredited
independent laboratory in September 2017 to physically
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