Cement ruling 'final', says Amutse

Mines minister Modestus Amutse says his ministry will not contest a High Court ruling that sets aside his approval of a proposed merger between Cheetah Cement and Ohorongo Cement.“I have no objection and I decided to respect the ruling of the court. Our Constitution is clear. In fact, we did not oppose the case from the very beginning,” Amutse told Namibian Sun yesterday.High Court judge James Devittie issued the order in the High Court last week following an urgent review application brought by iTe Products, Pharaoh Cement and the Construction Industries Federation of Namibia.Devittie ruled that Amutse's June 11 decision to overturn the Namibian Competition Commission's (NaCC) 2025 decision to block the deal was unlawful and invalid, and stripped the decision of legal force.The ruling reinstates the NaCC's prohibition, which the Government Gazette published on 17 July 2025.In their application, the applicants argued that Amutse had never consulted or heard them before he made his decision.“Part of the applicants' arguments in the case was that they were not consulted or heard when I made the decision, but that is because the case was never brought to my attention,” Amutse told Namibian Sun.He does not plan further action on the merger.“I do not know the intention of other respondents in the case, but from my side, the court’s ruling is final,” Amutse said.Monopoly fearsThe proposed merger involved Whale Rock Cement, which operates Cheetah Cement, acquiring Schwenk Namibia, which holds a 69.8% stake in Ohorongo Cement.The proposed transaction would have placed Namibia’s two major cement producers under one roof.Whale Rock submitted the merger application to the NaCC in February 2025. After investigating the transaction, the commission rejected the deal, arguing that it would eliminate an effective competitor and create a monopoly in the cement market.The merger later became linked to Cheetah Cement’s financial difficulties, with the company warning in March that it could close its operations and retrench about 87 employees.

Cement ruling 'final', says Amutse

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

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Cement ruling 'final', says Amutse

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Namibian Sun 2026-10-09

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