STRONGER FOOTING
Afrimat index shows growth in construction industry
The Afrimat construction and building index continues to outperform the general economy, despite the dismissal of Pravin Gordhan as finance minister, evidence of state capture, ratings downgrades and SA’s return to recession. After reaching an eight-quarter high in the fourth quarter of 2016, the index fell slightly in the first quarter of 2017 as political developments eroded business and consumer confidence, which slipped to levels last seen in the 2009 recession. The index was recently launched by JSE-listed Afrimat, an open pit mining company that supplies industrial minerals and construction materials. The company operates across rural areas in SA and this "paid off" amid a dearth of large infrastructure projects. "Companies involved in the construction sector had to box cleverly to source projects or supply product to the sector," Afrimat CEO Andries van Heerden said. "Our research showed that several smaller projects were available," he said. On the whole, the index showed SA...
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