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- The National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications has recalled an Econo Cement product.
- The regulator said the "high-risk" product has failed to meet requirements for prescribed strength.
- But the company said independent testing showed "positive conformity" and the product has been out of circulation since October.
- For more financial news, go to the News24 Business front page.
South African company Econo Cement has been accused of having a "substandard" product by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
The regulator has asked consumers and hardware stores to participate in a nationwide recall of Econo Cement's "CEM V/A S-V 32.5 N" product after investigations found it failed to meet the minimum requirements of prescribed strength.
CEO of the NRCS, Duncan Mutengwe, said the move was in the public interest to ensure the product does not pose a risk to South Africans and the economy at large.
Mutengwe explained:
He said the NRCS had ordered the company to stop manufacturing the product, and the body will also confiscate all the stocks currently on shelves.
The company received a letter of authority in 2019 after initial tests had found it had met industry requirements. However, Mutengwa's letter of authority that provides for the product's sale has been withdrawn with immediate effect.
In a lawyer's letter to News24, the Econo Cement's legal representatives said that the product has been out of circulation since at least 4 October 2023.
"The NRCS relies on certain tests of our client’s product that it says were conducted in July 2023, in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumulanga."
But the Econo Cement product was tested by two independent testing laboratories over the same period and showed "positive conformity" results, according to the company. More independent testing in October also showed the same results, added.
These reports were sent to the NRCS at the end of November, but "they again simply ignored" the results, according to Econo Cement's legal representatives.
"Inspectors of the NRCS on 2 November [this year] found none of the product present on the client's premises."
The company will launch a legal review of the recall "imminently".
NRCS inspections manager Rhoda Masupye said the regulatory body found that the product had failed the requirements for prescribed strength as far back as May this year.
Speaking to News24, she said the body decided to intensify its investigation that initially began in June, after receiving an influx of complaints from businesses for this particular product.
Substandard product samples were found in parts of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Mbombela in Mpumalanga. A sample was also taken from the manufacturers themselves and was also found to be failing the prescribed strength requirement, said Masupye.
She added:
According to the NRCS, if the cement product is found to have led to a collapse in buildings or any other infrastructure damage, consumers would be able to take recourse through the Consumer Protection Act.
The article has been updated on 15 December to reflect the response from Econo Cement's legal team.
