Mr Basil Ford is a non-Executive Director of the Board of Directors of Ohorongo Cement (Pty) Ltd.

At the beginning of his professional career, Mr. Ford acted as an engineer for a civil engineering consulting company, Jeffares and Green Inc, working on the design and construction of roads.

Mr. Ford joined the International Development Corporation (IDC) in 1998. He was part of the original IDC team that started the Media & Motion Pictures Business Unit at the IDC in 2001, which he presently heads and which has been responsible for funding a number of award-winning films, including the Oscar-winner 'Tsotsi'.

The Media & Motion Pictures Business Unit with a portfolio of more than R 1 billion, promotes investment and development of the broader media sector, including the following sub-sectors: Printing, publishing, broadcasting (radio and television), pictures and other media.

Mr. Ford holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and a B.Eng (Honours) degree in Transportation Engineering from the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Mr. Gerhard Hirth is the Chairman of Ohorongo Cement and CEO of the SCHWENK Group.

Mr. Hirth has been working for the SCHWENK Group since 2000 and is also Chairman of the downstream activities of the Group. Mr. Hirth holds several supervisory board mandates in the industry. He performs extensive activities within German and European Cement Associations and other industry associations.

Mr. Hirth has more than 30 years of experience in the German cement industry. He was involved in the development and use of alternative fuels from the very beginning as well as in activities in the cement and concrete sector (downstream).

Before joining the SCHWENK Group, Mr. Hirth was the Chief Executive Officer of the German cement company, Anneliese Zementwerke AG. During 1993 and 2000 Mr. Hirth held leading positions in concrete and other building material activities which led him to America, Asia and South-Africa.

Mr. Gerhard Hirth studied Industrial Engineering and Management at the University of Karlsruhe/Germany. He holds a Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur degree (graduate engineer).

Mr. Hans-Wilhelm Schütte is the Managing Director of Ohorongo Cement.

Mr. Schütte is a Namibian citizen and returned at the end of 2008 from Central Europe to Namibia. He has more than 18 years experience in a financial environment and has a strong background in finance, sales & marketing activities. He joined the Schwenk Group in August 2008.

Before joining Ohorongo Cement, Mr. Schütte held the position of Business Unit President at Inbev, one of the leading brewers in the world. During his time at Inbev, Mr. Schütte liaised with a wide range of stakeholders – government, regulators, private shareholders, financial investors and audit committees.

Mr. Schütte’s 18 years experience led him to South-Africa, West Africa and West & Central Europe. His strategic experience in Central Europe included the implementation of a Route to Market Strategy and World Class Commercial Program for the different countries.

Mr. Schütte studied at the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa and hold a B-COMM Degree (CUM LAUDE), B-COMM (HONS) Management Degree and further more in May 1990, had a first time examination pass from the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants (C.I.M.A.). Since 1990, Mr. Schütte is an associate member of the Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA in London).

Mr. Bauer has been working for the SCHWENK Group since 1996. His responsibilities at SCHWENK Zement include the role as Technical Director for the cement plants in Germany as well as the Coordinator of cement activities in Hungary and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Mr. Bauer performs additional activities as a Board Member within the German Cement Associations.

Mr. Bauer has more than 30 years experience in the German and international cement industry. Over the past 20 years he was involved in process technology in international cement plant projects as well as in plant modernizations. Mr. Bauer is a studied process engineer, involved in development and use of alternative fuels and in environmental issues.

Before joining the SCHWENK Group, Mr. Bauer fulfilled a management position in the international company Polysius AG.

Mr. Bauer studied process technology at the University in Essen/Germany and holds a Diplom-Ingenieur degree (graduate engineer).

Mr. Peter Frank Koep is the senior partner of Attorneys Koep & Partners and a Director of Ohorongo Cement (Pty) Limited.

Mr. Koep was born on the 2nd of December 1951 in Swakopmund, Namibia. He was educated in Cape Town, where he attended the University of Cape Town and obtained a B.A. LL.B. degree in 1977. He commenced his articles of clerkship in Namibia in 1978 and was admitted as an attorney in 1980. In 1982, he started practising under the name and style of P F Koep & Company, which name was later changed to Koep & Partners.


Peter Koep concentrates primarily on mining, corporate and commercial work, as well as High Court litigation. He is a long-standing member of the Law Society of Namibia, previous Councillor of the Law Society of Namibia, convenor of the Committee on Human Rights, previous member of the Board for Legal Education and a member of the International Bar Association. He was the founding member and subsequently President of Namibia Peace Plan 435, working for the implementation of United Nations Resolution 435 of 1978 leading to the independence of Namibia. He was a member of the President's Advisory Committee on Economic Affairs, assisted in drawing Rules for the Namibian Stock Exchange and was the Chairman of the Namibian Stock Exchange for a number of years. He is also the Chairman of PAMAN (Professional Arbitration and Mediation Association of Namibia.)

Mr. Laubenstein is a non-Executive Director of the Board of Directors of Ohorongo Cement (Pty) Ltd.

Mr. Peter Laubenstein has more than 20 years experience in the construction, ready-mix and cement industry and is presently a member of the board of Schwenk Zement KG.

He has worked for the company since 2003 and his responsibilities include the sales and marketing of cement and cement-based products such as fly ash and slag, as well as managing the activities related to ready-mix concrete, aggregates and concrete pumps within the SCHWENK Group.

Mr. Laubenstein is a member of the board of the German cement association and the German ready-mix concrete association and represents the former body in Working Group 5 of the Cembureau in Brussels. Mr Laubenstein is also an associate member of the Institute of German concrete engineers (VDB)

Before joining the Schwenk Group, Mr. Laubenstein held numerous managerial positions in Germany, Europe and Africa for the Bilfinger Berger / Julius Berger construction group.

Mr. Laubenstein studied business management at the University in Biberach/Germany and holds a degree as a Diplom-Betriebswirt (Graduate Business Economist).