Nigeria: Kano Emir Decries Power, Water Shortage, Insecurity - Apparently dissatisfied with the level of government's commitment in providing basic social amenities such as electricity, potable water and security, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has passed a vote of no confidence on the government in these vital sectors. [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Stray Dogs Terrorise Kamwenge Residents - ONE person has died and 11 are nursing wounds after being beaten by stray dogs in Kamwenge district. [AA Urbanisation]

By Bathandwa Mbola

Johannesburg -The City of Johannesburg has said it will go ahead with the rollout of its Rea Vaya Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on 30 August, despite the threat of a strike by taxi bosses.

The United Taxi Association Forum (UTAF), a body representing at least 31 taxi associations, has threatened to embark on a mass protest the day before the official launch of the BRT. This has received support from the South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO).

They have accused government of not consulting with them enough over the system's implementation.

The forum has said it will head to court in a bid to stop the BRT from going ahead.

"We must always remember the need to serve the interests of commuters. Rea Vaya will go on. Our citizens want Rea Vaya to start operating and we have the opportunity to raise the bar and give them what they deserve," said Rehana Moosajee, the City of Johannesburg's MMC for Transportation.

Refuting claims that the taxi operators had not been consulted enough, Ms Moosajee said the city had been engaging with the taxi industry since 2006.

By Proffesor Ndawonde

Johannesburg - Human Settlements Minister Tokyo Sexwale spent Monday night in the strife-torn informal settlement of Diepsloot as part of his "sincere listen campaign" to get first hand experience on the living conditions of the people there.

"What we are doing here is to work with people closely and close the gap between government and the poor of the poorest.

"The 24 hours that I have spent in the informal settlement was absolutely informative. We have collected valuable information about the plight of the people living in Diepsloot.

"We will use this information as part of the department's planning strategy," the minister said in an interview with 702 Talk Radio on Tuesday morning.

Minister Sexwale said his visit in the north of Johannesburg informal settlements was part of his department's listen campaign to have proper conversation with ordinary people.

He added that he spent the night in Diepsloot's extension one, the scene of recent service delivery protests, to get a better understanding of the residents living conditions.

South Africa: Residents Barricade Streets in Service Protest - Thokoza Township in the East Rand on Wednesday morning remained calm following the outbreak of a violent service delivery protest march on Tuesday. [AA Urbanisation]

By Chris Bathembu

Pretoria - Johannesburg Metro police have urged people to stay away from the city centre ahead of the threatened municipal workers strike on Monday.

"We reiterate our plea that if you don't need to be in the CBD, please stay in your offices until at least 2pm," Johannesburg Metro Police Department spokesperson Edna Mamonyane told BuaNews.

She said police were monitoring the situation but that no major incidents have been reported so far, adding that pickets have started in some parts of the city.

"Our members are on high alert and we hope to make sure the action is kept as peaceful as possible," she said.

More than 150 000 municipal workers are set to down tools and municipal services countrywide are set to be disrupted.

The workers are demanding a 15 percent wage increase.

The strike may affect refuge collection and traffic services, but efficient services such as police and emergency work will not be affected by the mass action, according to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).

Durban - Durban Mayor, Councillor Obed Mlaba, has strongly condemned the criminal behaviour of members of the Unemployed People's Movement who looted shops in the city centre on Wednesday.

"Notwithstanding the constitutional right of people to strike and the plight faced by the unemployed, the looting of shops can not be justified," said the mayor, in a statement on Thursday.

"We are disturbed by the movement's criminal activity. These are purely criminal deeds and they can never be tolerated."

According to reports, a group of about 100 people looted the Shoprite and Pick n Pay stores on Dr Pixley KaSeme Street. The group allegedly took chicken, groceries and other items without paying for them until the police arrived.

A number of the movement's members were arrested.

Councillor Mlaba said: "I have asked the police to investigate this criminal activity and bring the people who were involved to book. The organisers of this march should be equally held liable."

The Unemployed People's Movement handed a memorandum to the eThekwini Municipality recently, demanding that they be given basic income grants.

South Africa: Housing, Social Services Protests Turn Violent - Protesters have again brought violence to township streets throughout South Africa over state failure to deliver on longstanding promises of housing and social services for all, but the discontent and frustration run much deeper. [AA Urbanisation]

South Africa: Urgent Messages in the Clattering Stones of Delivery Protests - WEEK-long protests by residents of Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, over the allocation of housing further heat up an otherwise cold winter plagued by often violent service delivery protests. [AA Urbanisation]

Uganda: Namugongo Residents Fight Chemical Factory - RESIDENTS of Namugongo have petitioned the National Environment Management Authority over the construction of a chemical factory between the Catholic and Protestant shrines. [AA Urbanisation]

By Edwin Tshivhidzo

Diepsloot - The situation in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, is reported to be calm on Monday after violent protests broke out at the weekend.

Angry residents set vehicles on fire, damaged property and stoned passing motorists and police vehicles. They also barricaded roads with burning rubble and portable toilets.

In a bid to save motorists from the angry mob, police closed the R511 and advised motorists to use the N14 to Roodeport as an alternative route. The road has since been reopened.

According to City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthathisi Modingoane, the residents began protesting when they heard rumours that they were to be relocated to Brits.

However, he explained that this was not the case.

Explaining the situation, Mr Modingoane said about 320 families are to be relocated to a nearby location, which is still within the Diepsloot area, to make way for the upgrading of an underground sewage system.

He said the residents had built their shacks illegally on top of the current sewage system.

Zimbabwe: Mbare's Dormitory Flats - a Ticking Health Time Bomb - "IT is through the grace of God that we managed to survive the cholera outbreak, otherwise it should have wiped us all out," said Fungai Moyo from Mbare, Harare. [AA Urbanisation]

Namibia: Tenants in 'Living Hell' At Lüderitz Compound - A "living hell" is how residents of Lüderitz's Benguela single quarters described conditions at the compound. [AA Urbanisation]

Ghana: La Community Needs Urgent Attention - La, a suburb of Accra, which lies between Osu and Teshie, has been classified as one of the densely-populated areas in Accra. [AA Urbanisation]

Ghana: Chorkor - a Suffering Community - Chorkor is a community in the Greater Accra Region surrounded by suburbs such as Dansoman, Mamprobi, and the Atlantic Ocean, with the fishing and fish mongering as the main occupation of the people. [AA Urbanisation]