We are happy to report that the site upgrade went on as planned without major hitches. We have most of the base features functioning. We only have a few items that we shall work on in the coming days. They are not major and can be addressed while the site is online. Once we have finished working on all the features, expect us to put a permanent link on the menu bar on how to use the features in order to extract the maximum benefit from your LusakaTimes experience.

1). Features and enhancements

We have added a number of features and enhanced the site’s alignment with the social networks like facebook and twitter

Am sure a lot of people noticed our increased activities on facebook last week. Many of the features are on the toolbar shown at the bottom of LT home page/browser window. From there you can facebook, tweet, search the site content, translate content. Going forward, expect a lot more features on the tool bar. We still have issues with RSS & posts and we are working hard to fix that.

There is also an issue if you are using Internet Explorer 6. The above tool bar will not show and we hope you upgrade your browser real soon. Its free to do so.

Translation Tool

The world is becoming flat and we thought we make it easier for other nationalities to be able to read LusakaTimes. They still wont be able to read your local language blogs as they don’t get translated. If you are a Geek and have a translator API for our local languages please get in touch.

2). Are we going to start Charging?

Oh boy! This is now becoming an urban legend. A myth basically. Maybe we need to seek help from the guys fom Discovery Channel to help us burst this myth. Anyway, lets say it again: Lusakatimes will NOT charge for its online content. The site will forever remain free and that is why our slogan is Keeping you informed for free. We are proud of the fact that a lot of others have realised this and made their sites free. Free online content works for us. Of course we are not the originators of free online media, we just liked the idea and decided to do some imitation, something we are good at. Our model is to charge advertisers. As a matter of fact we are busy entertaining the idea of printing the stories and comments and distributing them for free to the Zambia public. We just need to reach a critical mass of advertisers who can help us cover the printing and distribution costs.

3). 2009 LT Awards

Its that time of the year again were we celebrate the contributions of all Zambians to the process of keeping us entertained as we plough through the year. We did the same things last year and to jog your memory, visit this link on LT 2008 Awards.

We realised some things we did wrong last year and we want to make some improvements. This year we are asking you to tell us what category you want us to put in the awards and also tell us your 3 nominations for that category. In two weeks we shall publish the nominations for the readers to vote. So we have categories and nominations now open and you can click here to start the process. The link is on the white background top menu bar next to send pictures link

$50 talk-time to the best blogger

This year we have decided to award a $50 talk-time to the best blogger. The talk time we shall be giving will only be usable in Zambia. If you are not in Zambia, you can still nominate your friend or relative in Zambia to receive the talktime.

Lastly thanks for your never ending support to Lusakatimes and we look forward to your valuable feedback on the latest changes to the site.

LT Team

South African President Jacob Zuma has arrived in the country for a three-day state visit.
President Zuma who arrived aboard a South African Air Force plane touched down at the Lusaka international airport at 17:55 Zambian time.

President Zuma, is accompanied by First Lady Nompumelelo and South African government officials.
He was met on arrival by president Banda, First lady Thandiwe, Zambia’s High Commissioner to South Africa Leslie Mbula and South Africa’s Ambassador to Zambia Moses Chikani.

Others include Cabinet and Deputy Ministers, MMD party officials among others.
President Banda later introduced his cabinet ministers, Permanent Secretaries and other senior government and party officials.

And speaking to journalists on arrival, visiting South African president Jacob Zuma said South Africa and Zambia have for a long time now, continued to enjoy cordial bilateral relations.

President Zuma said this is because of the long historical ties between the two countries.

He told journalists that he is in the country to explore how best the existing bilateral relations between the two countries could be strengthened further.

Mr. Zuma who described Zambia as his second home said he is happy to be in the country.

He commended President Banda and the Zambian people for the warm reception accorded to him and his delegation.

President Zuma, earlier inspected a guard of honour mounted for him by the 2nd Regiment of the Zambia Army.
Meanwhile, President Zuma and his Zambian counterpart are tomorrow expected to lay their wreaths at the freedom Statues before the official talks at State House.

The two Heads of State and Government will then proceed to Mulungushi International Conference Center where Mr. Zuma is expected to give a memorial lecture on Oliver Thambo and later proceed to Leopard’s Hill Cemetery where they will lay wreaths on the graves of late South African Freedom fighters.

They are later in the evenings expected to attend a business dinner at the Taj Pamodzi Hotel.
ZANIS

VICE President George Kunda says people questioning the continuation of the legacy of late President Levy Mawanawasa are being malicious.

Mr . Kunda said he together with the late President and the current President Rupiah Banda were attacked and insulted when they were putting the current policies in place by the same people who are now championing the legacy.

Mr . Kunda said the MMD government was still following the development plan that was devised under the late President Mwanawasa in 2006 such as the Fifth National Development Plan.

He explained that the donors were still funding the programmes under the FNDP adding that support from the donors was growing stronger and stronger and that this showed the confidence the donors had in the programmes that government was implementing.

The Vice President was speaking in an interview in Livingstone today when he featured on Zambezi FM radio station.

”We have a development plan which we devised under the Late President Levy Mwanawasa in 2006. We developed these documents together and at that time President Rupiah Banda was Vice-President and most of us were ministers. Donors still have the confidence because it is the same government but we must appreciate that Mr. Banda is an individual and he has his own qualities but we are implementing a national programme,” he said.

Mr. Kunda said the economy was growing stronger and that the issue of the legacy should not arise adding that the National Anti-Corruption Policy that was recently launched by President Rupiah Banda started before the death of the late President.

Mr. Kunda said the MMD government was on course in terms of development and service delivery adding that the government was working on a five year manifesto and the FNDP.

He said so far, government had included all its nine provinces in the development agenda.

ZANIS

The Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP) has dismissed allegation that it has failed to pay people that worked as election monitors in the October 15, 2009 Kasama Central by-election.

FODEP Information and Communications Officer, McDonald Chipenzi told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka today that his organisation did not hire election monitors for the by-election.

Mr. Chipenzi said it was shocking to learn that some people, who volunteered to monitor elections, were claiming that they were hired by FODEP and were demanding to be paid allowances.

He explained that during the Kasama Central by-election, FODEP assigned its members to monitor the polls and asked them to engage volunteered without promising them any payment.

“The members of FODEP that were assigned were told to only hire people that are our members,” he said.

Mr. Chipenzi said non-members of FODEP voluntarily joined assigned election monitors hence there as no need to pay them.

He further explained that FODEP has not even received any official complaint from the complainants.

He was reacting to allegations leveled against FODEP that it has failed to pay its election monitors that worked during the Kasama Central by-elections over a month ago.

Last week, irate people claiming to be election monitors stormed ZANIS offices in Kasama to register their displeasure over alleged FODEP’s failure to pay them their allowances.

ZANIS

ZAMBIA was ordered to pay Lusaka lawyer Rodger Chongwe $2.5m as compensation by an Australian court for the 1997 shooting incident in Kabwe by police where he and first Republican president Kenneth Kaunda were injured.

Home Affairs Minister Lameck Mangani said in Lusaka yesterday that Dr Chongwe has since the judgement almost 10 years ago been pushing to be paid that amount but the Government was still negotiating.

“Dr Chongwe took the matter of the Kabwe shooting incident to a court in Australia where Zambia lost the case because no official from Government attended any of the court sessions there.

“The court ordered that Dr Chongwe be paid US$2.5 million and he has been pushing for that amount since then,” Mr Mangani said.

Mr Mangani who refuted claims that President Rupiah Banda had authorised payment of US$5.9 million to Dr Chongwe as compensation said his ministry would investigate thoroughly and establish the people leaking such information to the media which he described as inaccurate.

Referring to a Post Newspaper story that at the weekend quoted sources from the Ministry of Finance who alleged that President Banda had authorised and directed that Dr Chongwe be paid $5.9m as compensation, Mr Mangani said the report was not true.

He said Government would not take kindly to people leaking inaccurate information bordering on national security with the aim of blackmailing Government and President Banda.

Mr Mangani said Dr Chongwe’s issue required legal opinion hence, the move by Mr Banda to write the Attorney General Mumba Malila seeking his opinion and guidance.

“And even that does not mean the President authorised the payment.
But even the US$2.5 million needs to be negotiated and at no time did the President authorise that the money be paid to Dr Chongwe,” Mr Mangani said.

He said those alleging that President Banda authorised the payment should provide evidence to that effect.

Mr Mangani said his ministry would investigate the matter and ensure that those leaking false and inaccurate information were brought to book.
He said it was worrying that information of this matter could be leaked with impunity disregarding national security and warned that Government would not take kindly with people trying to raise false alarm in the nation.

“There is need to bring sanity and as Government, we will ensure that those trying to raise false alarm are brought to book by investigating thoroughly,” Mr Mangani said.

Dr Chongwe could not be reached for a comment as he is out of the country.

[Times of Zambia]

CHIEF Justice Ernest Sakala has challenged those with evidence of corruption in the Judiciary to report to law enforcement agencies and “stop singing the song” if they don’t.

Mr Justice Sakala said some critics thrive on accusations that the Judiciary is corrupt and that such a negative perception is more damaging for the Judiciary than the allegations.

“I have said before that we do not tolerate corruption. But if anyone has evidence of corruption in the Judiciary, please report to the relevant authorities for the law to take its course. But if you have no evidence, stop singing the song,” Mr Justice Sakala said.

He said this on Friday when he opened the Magistrates’ and Judges Association of Zambia (MAJAZ) triennial conference at Baluba Hotel in Luanshya.

“The Judiciary continues to be faced with several challenges, the major one of which is the perception by certain sections of society about our ability to serve the people of Zambia in the delivery of justice,” Mr Justice Sakala said.

He said delays in the delivery of judgements, poor time-keeping, negative attitude towards members of the public and corrupt conduct by some members and staff of the Judiciary at whatever level contribute to the creation of a negative and damaging perception of the institution.

Mr Justice Sakala said while a good amount of criticism that the Judiciary gets is not factually supported, the conduct of some of its members does not help this arm of Government.

He said this creates doubt in the minds of the public over the Judiciary’s ability to dispense justice in a fair manner.

“As I have always said, it is the perception that is more damaging than the actual allegations, whether true or not. But I am pleased to inform this gathering that we have since employed a public relations officer, a qualified journalist with immense journalism experience, whose job description centres on demystifying the image of the Judiciary,” Mr Justice Sakala said.

He congratulated MAJAZ’s outgoing executive committee for completing its term of office free of industrial unrest by its members.

“This is unlike in the past when their worships unprofessionally resorted to illegal strikes as a means of demanding for better salaries and improved conditions of service,” Mr Justice Sakala said.

He said the objective of MAJAZ is to safeguard the independence of the Judiciary as an essential requirement of the judicial function and a guarantee of human rights and freedom under the rule of law.
Mr Justice Sakala said MAJAZ is required to promote the dignity of the judicial office.

He said he is happy that Lusaka resident magistrate Aridah Chulu had been elected to the regional committee of the council representing East, Central and southern Africa at the 15th triennial conference of the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association in Turks and Caicos Islands.

Mr Justice Sakala said he is confident that Mrs Chulu will adequately represent both the region and the Zambian Judiciary in the council for the next three years.

He urged the conference to come up with recommendations on how best to protect the independence of magistrates and the conditions of service for the lower bench.