Cement sales in the Southern African Customs Union, consisting of South Africa and four neighbours, gained 15 per cent in July, rising for a third month after a decline in April. Sales in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland rose to 1,27Mt from 1,1Mt in the same month a year earlier, the Cement & Concrete Institute, based in Midrand, South Africa, said on Tuesday on its website. Sales growth accelerated from 9.1 per cent in June, after falling to 1Mt in April, the first decrease in three years.