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Main Image: The Marais boys Reniel, left, and Evert with Vivia
Charl Marais has been a Kingswood homeowner for seven years, and MD-cum-majority shareholder at PPP (Precast Panel Products) since the beginning of 2022 … and he’s not had the time or inclination to ever look back.
His connection with George comes a long way, says Charl Marais, who moved here with his parents and three siblings in 1984. Dad was headmaster of George-Suid Primary School, and Charl matriculated from Outeniqua High in ’87.
The Marais clan is a productive bunch and, since having retired from education, Charl’s father has been involved in the promotion of Garden Route tourism activities in the form of the ever-popular Outeniqua Power Van and Diaz Express. Mining the area’s many tourism offerings and making it accessible to visitors is also a priority for Charl.
The family faced tragedy this year, however, when its youngest member lost her battle with cancer, aged 43. ‘When standing next to a loved one’s death bed, you realise you can’t take anything with you,’ he says.
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Charl is married to Vivia and has three kids: Nina, 23, Evert, 19, and 16-year-old Reniel.
Learning the ropes
After completing his BCom at Stellenbosch, Charl started his career in George in the employ of SARS from 1992–94.
Bigger horizons beckoned in Cape Town, where he worked for Coopers & Lybrand’s consulting division. ‘My focus was on finance at the time, with an early introduction to IT,’ he says. By the new millennium, he had been consulting on BEE, structured finance, turnaround strategies, and the like. But Charl was set on attaining his MBA, so that’s what he did through Australia’s Bond University in 2001–02.
Moving northwest
Fast-forward to 2008–09, with Charl living in the Cape and commuting to Joburg and surrounds to monitor various companies in his care. When the frequency of travelling stopped making sense, the family Marais moved to a nature estate at Hartbeespoort Dam in North West Province.
‘In 2012 I had the opportunity to become MD of a ready-mix concrete business in Rustenburg that was majority-owned by WBHO. Its shareholders’ intention was to grow the business and then sell. We went from 11 to 18 plants, and sold the lot to PPC in June 2016.
‘One of our iconic projects at the time was supplying Eskom’s Kusile power station with over 600,000m2 of concrete. The biggest single project I’ve been involved with is the Mall of Africa construction, where 100,000m2 of concrete came into play,’ says Charl.
Many other highly technical ventures and challenges presented themselves at the time, but commuting was always part of the package, so by 2014 it had become practical once more for Charl and his family to return to the Western Cape. The only decision now was: Cape Town or George?
The latter won; the Kingswood plot was bought in January 2014, and the Marais family – wife Vivia and their two boys – moved here in October 2015.
‘I commuted for another six and a half years, being in George during weekends only. Those 48 hours at home always flew past too fast,’ says Charl – another contributor to his current/forever permanent-resident status.
Always keen to try his hand at different investment opportunities, Charl smiles when remembering one of these initial experiments. ‘I bought a fish and chips shop … bad investment! I sold it after six months. Then, during those weeks spent at home during Covid lockdowns, I had to ask myself: is this really worth your while?’
Charl finally resigned from the big-city industry last year. ‘I didn’t have anything but faith and prayer. But knowing a bit about concrete, I had lots of ideas and plans.’
Double-tiered triple-P
PPP was founded in 1980, with Vibracrete walls its primary business at the time. Today, the company comprises two sections: the PPP where Charl ploughs his vast experience into the product side, and PPP Building, which deals primarily with construction and developments.
On the manufacturing side, PPP specialises in Vibracrete walls, lintels, curbs, stepping stones, LPS (large panel security) walling, Green Blocks, and paving on a smaller scale. At peak periods on certain projects, the staff contingent pushes 22, but averages out at about 18 staff members in general.
‘I decided to buy in as main shareholder in February this year. My attention is shared between products and development, in all cases focusing on getting the basics in place and building new networks. I can’t say no to a challenge and, with concrete and steel, your imagination is the only limitation.’
Passion to plough back
Charl says he’s not interested in just working, but also in making a difference in the community where he has now finally settled, as opposed to dashing in and out of town. And what better way than through the Garden Route’s many tourism offerings?
A keen sportsman, he used to spend lots of time running but now prefers mountain-biking or tackling Kingswood Estate’s trails on foot. When it comes to golf, he says he doesn’t play ‘often enough or well enough’ – but that didn’t stop him from twice being the driving force behind local golf festivals to promote the area’s many awardwinning courses, with big-business sponsors to boot.
Along with like-minded friends, he steered the FNB national golf festival from 2005–07, with 1995 winning Springbok rugby captain Francois Pienaar hosting the 2006 edition of the event. He gained sponsorship from The Pro Shop for another multi-course Garden Route tournament between 2017 and 2019.
Restart, refresh
Charl says their first experience of estate living was in Hartbeespoort where, as is the case at Kingswood, residents could enjoy the space and freedom of a safe environment. ‘Security is key, and we got used to the luxuries of estate living.’
And while enjoying all that Kingswood offers in terms of safety, good management, and spectacular mountain views, Charl has never been more serious about impacting lives and business in general. ‘People say CAW signifies Cold And Wet, but it also stands for Call And Wait.
‘It’s annoying when a supplier tells you to call them again next week. If there’s anything I’ve learnt up north, it’s service now or opportunity lost. Yes, we’re more relaxed here, but I’m a firm believer in excellence. Don’t ever forget about a client.’
Check out precastpanelproducts.co.za for additional information.
