Cape Brick was founded in 1938 and occupied the site alongside the Salt River power station in Paarden Eiland. Originally the company was contracted to transport the waste ash out of the power station. This product was then used to make bricks as well as being sold on to other clay brick manufacturers. The ash bricks were originally used to build fortifications during the 2nd World War. In 1975 with the imminent decommissioning of the power station, the company changed its product line to the more modern dense concrete products. The concrete masonry gained good market acceptance and the company was able to continue its operation at the site.

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Birds Eye view of Cape Brick

The power station gave notice to the company in 1994 (after over 50 years) that its lease would not be renewed. After much negotiation it was agreed that the lease would be extended by a further two years. At the end of 1996 the company relocated to the Transnet Industrial Park in Salt River. In 1998 the majority shareholding in the company changed hands and a state of the art VB4x brick plant was purchased from Pan Mixers South Africa. This had the effect of doubling the company's production capacity as well as increasing production efficiency.

In 2001 the company became one of the first manufacturers to set up a sieving and waste recycling plant with the purchase of a jaw crusher and a gyro crusher. This led to the introduction of the environmentally friendly product range.

Cape Brick is, and always has been a family business. Originally started by Sonny Gracie and run for many years by his sons Peter and Mike Gracie, Cape Brick is managed today by the third generation of the Gracie/Tresfon family. The combination of old and new management has proved extremely successful. The company is also fortunate to have Mike Smit of MSC Construction as a partner. His vast technical building knowledge and feedback is always invaluable.

The company is today one of the leading manufacturers of concrete products in the Western Cape. Cape Brick is ideally located in Salt River, only 5km from the city centre, and is also the closest large-scale masonry manufacturer to the Atlantic Seaboard and the Southern Suburbs.

Cape Brick employs approximately 80 skilled and semi-skilled workers and has a management team of 8 members.

The company is also a member of the Concrete Manufacturer's Association and is fully BEE accredited, with Level 2 Contributor status and a Recognition Level of 125%.