Online Reporter
Martin Kadzere
Cement prices have begun retreating, driven by a combination of cooling seasonal demand, a surge in domestic production and a steady flow of imports.
After soaring to as much as US$18 per 50kg bag, up from US$12 just three months ago, retail prices have started to soften.
Most traders in Harare are now retailing the commodity for between US$15 and US$16.
“We hope to see prices back at normal levels by January,” said Mr Elijah Ngare, a local cement trader.
The price correction coincides with the onset of the rainy season.
Construction activity in Zimbabwe typically peaks between April and November, but the arrival of the rains naturally slows down outdoor projects.
This seasonal dip in demand has effectively curbed the “unprecedented” prices that characterised the third quarter of 2025.
Beyond seasonal trends, a significant driver of the previous price hike was logistics. Importers faced delays of up to three weeks at the Chirundu Border Post.
The bottlenecks, triggered by Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) loss-control audits and heavy traffic congestion, coupled with other domestic supply factors, inflated transportation costs, which were ultimately passed on to consumers.
On the manufacturing front, the industry is recovering from a series of operational setbacks.
Sino-Zimbabwe recently completed scheduled maintenance, while major players, including PPC Zimbabwe and Khayah Cement (formerly Lafarge), have resolved the plant breakdowns that constrained local supply during the dry season.
Khayah Cement, currently under corporate rescue, has invested US$20 million to rehabilitate its clinker kiln plant. The facility resumed operations in early December after remaining idle for 26 months.
PPC Zimbabwe maintained that it had kept production consistent throughout the year, saying it had no intention of creating artificial shortages.
Industry and Commerce Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, who recently toured the PPC and Khayah plants, noted that the cement supply strain resulted from several factors, including a breakdown at PPC’s Harare plant, scheduled maintenance at Sino-Zimbabwe Cement in Kwekwe, and a two-week disruption in clinker imports from Zambia.
“All these things converged at the same time, leading to the huge supply bottleneck we experienced. We saw those who had products increasing their prices, and the response was to open up for imports.
“But opening up is never a permanent solution. A permanent solution is when, as a country, we develop our own capabilities,” said Minister Ncube.
Khayah Cement’s corporate rescue practitioner, Mr Bulisa Mbano, said the US$20 million investment marked a turning point for the company, which has long been weighed down by debt and operational inefficiencies.
“The positive is that all creditors will be paid down in a compromise amount and settled immediately.
“This gives the company immediate relief and the breathing space to focus on growth rather than liabilities and currently the US$20 million injection on the clinker kiln will be a game changer in the cement industry,” he said.
The Government says Zimbabwe will achieve self-sufficiency in cement production by mid-next year, a development expected to reshape the country’s construction sector and transform it into a regional exporter.
Bongani Ndlovu