Government has started phasing out contractual jobs for Local Court Presiding Justices, a measure meant to place them on permanent and pensionable basis in the Judiciary, Parliament has heard.

Vice President, George Kunda, informed the House that government is expected to save substantial financial resources once the abolition of contractual employment of Presiding Justices is fully implemented.

Mr Kunda, who is also Justice Minister, said government is losing huge sums of money to engage local court presiding justices to handle cases.

Mr. Kunda said seeks to employ persons, not less than the age of 40, with adequate knowledge of criminal and customary law to enable them effectively handle proceedings premised on such grounds.

“We are moving away from employing Local Court Presiding Officers in the judicial on contracts because we want to save some resources and we have started engaging Local Court Presiding Justices on permanent and pensionable basis. These officers should be 40 years of age that are well vest in criminal and customary proceeding because we realise that at a tender age of 25 years, they will not be able to handle such cases,” Mr. Kunda said.

And Mr. Kunda has maintained that the judiciary is operating as an autonomous body and that it remains determined to undertake the judicial process conclusively.

Mr. Kunda was responding to a question raised by Katombora Member of Parliament, Regina Musokotwane, who wanted to know whether government has intentions to lower the age limit requirement for Local Court Presiding Justices from 40 years to 25 years noting that the officers only served for 15 years before retirement.

He also advised members of public to report local court justices, who disregards principles governing their operation, to Judicial Complaints Authority.

He said this in response to a concern raised by Roan MP, Chishimba Kambwili, who expressed concern over judicial personnel in the habit of insulting people appearing before them in the courts of law.

ZANIS/KC/MM/ENDS/SJK

Police in the Copperbelt mining town of Chingola have impounded 16 trucks with maize destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

District police chief Chibesa Musa has confirmed the development.

Mr. Musa says documents on some of the trucks indicate that maize is in transit from Tanzania to DRC although the trucks did not have proof of having entered Tanzania.

He said the trucks will be handed over to the Zambia Revenue Authority to verify their documents.

Acting District Administrative officer Philip Simbule said security has been stepped up to curb smuggling of the staple food.

The enhanced security measures have since seen an improvement in the availability of mealie meal on the market.

Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo share a long common border

/ZNBC/NEWS

BAILIFFS have pounced on Luanshya Copper Mines(LCM) and seized 15 vehicles in an effort to recover an undisclosed amounts of money owed to, a Lusaka based company, Poweng limited.

Both Luanshya District Commissioner George Kapu and LCM chief operating officer James Bethel confirmed the seizure in an interview with ZANIS.

Kapu said the 15 vehicles which were seized yesterday are  parked at Luanshya central police station.

But LCM chief operating officer James Bethel said he was surprised that the Bailiffs seized the vehicles saying the matter has been taken to courts of Law.

Bethel could not give the amount owed to the company adding that it was just a claim there were making.

He however stated that it would be subjudice to talk about the matter which is in court.

Bethel said LCM has put in place measures to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

ZANIS/OM/MKM/Ends.

The Mealie meal shortage that has hit some parts of country has also affected Lusaka with the commodity price being increased by between K5000 and K7000 per 25 kilograms bag.

A random survey conducted by ZANIS in Lusaka has revealed that a 25kg bag of National Milling Corporation breakfast is selling between K55, 000 and K62, 000 from K50,000 and K52, 000 respectively, where as Roller meal is being sold at K47, 000 and K50, 000 from K42, 000.

And a 25kg bag of Simba Milling breakfast is now selling between K53, 000 and K60, 000 and that of Roller meal is pegged between K43, 000 and K45, 000.

Some traders talked said the increase in the prices of the commodity is due to insufficient supply by millers to local depots, while others attributed the increase to also the hike in commodity ordering prices.

According to Chanda Chileshe, a trade at Chilenje market, said traders have decided to hike the prices because they are not getting enough stocks to meet the current mealie meal demand.

Mr. Chileshe explained that most mealie meal depots in the area do not have the commodity, adding that this has raise fear and panic among the traders in the area hence the price increase.

And another trader Mirriam Suwali of Long Acres market said milling agents have also increased the ordering price by K3000,saying this has prompted traders to increase the prices of the mealie meal so that they do not trade at a loss.

James Chipango a salesman at Simba depot in Kalingalinga also explained that the increase in mealie meal prices was because of low grain supply to millers.

Mr. Chipango added that millers have not being producing at full capacity because they are receiving inadequate grain stocks to cushion the increasing demand of mealie meal in the country.

ZANIS/MM/AM/ENDS