The man who was president of Zambia for twenty-seven years, Kenneth Kaunda, is due to appear in court in Lusaka later today Monday on charges connected with an attempted coup last October.

He is among eighty-one defendants facing charges.

The attempt was quickly crushed by the Zambian army, and afterwards the government arrested scores of opposition activists.

Mr Kaunda was imprisoned, and later released and put under house arrest.

He denies the charges.

The BBC Southern Africa correspondent says that government opponents regard the trial as a crude attempt to silence opposition leaders at a time when they're gaining increasing popular support.