Bheki Mthembu appointed CEO of PPC’s Rwandan subsidiary, CIMERWA

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Bheki Mthembu appointed CEO of PPC’s Rwandan subsidiary, CIMERWA
Former General Manager of PPC Cement’s Hercules and Jupiter operations in Gauteng,
Bheki Mthembu has been appointed the CEO of CIMERWA.
PPC has announced the appointment of Bheki Mthembu as CEO of its CIMERWA plant in
Rwanda. Mthembu assumed his new duties as CEO from 1 December 2016 under the
guidance of Njombo Lekula, Managing Director of PPC International Operations.
A qualified development chemist, Mthembu started his career at PPC Cement in April 1995.
By September 1999, he was managing the company’s laboratory – a position he held for five
years. His understanding of the manufacturing process, as well as his keen interest in
business saw him subsequently move into the quality assurance space, culminating in his
appointment as Group Quality Assurance Manager in January 2010. Mthembu went on to
become the Head of Group Technical Services in April 2013. Just over a year later he
assumed leadership of PPC Hercules as the General Manager, adding PPC Jupiter to his
portfolio in 2016.
With optimisation of CIMERWA currently in progress, Mthembu is looking forward to this
new challenge and the year ahead. “While PPC’s well-established presence in Botswana
and Zimbabwe had already positioned us as an African brand, CIMERWA spearheaded the
next phase of our expansion onto the continent – demonstrating our vision and commitment
to building Africa. Given that the plant is already running at capacity utilisation levels above
50% and sold over 148 000 tons of cement in the latest reporting period, it’s a very exciting
time to be joining the team.”
Kevin Odendaal will be replacing Mthembu locally as PPC Executive: Gauteng Business
Unit, building on his work to date. This is in line with the Group’s vision and strategy to
become a materials solution provider both in South Africa and across the continent.
Mthembu and Odendaal both see their new appointments as opportunities to continue to
build the brand and the Group’s operations. “As PPC moves into its next exciting phase of
commissioning on the continent, we look forward to growing and strengthening our
stakeholder partnerships through ongoing rollout of the Group’s strategy.”
ENDS