NetOne Cellular has terminated chief executive officer Raphael Mushanawani’s contract, bringing an end to a five-year tenure dogged by corruption allegations, boardroom infighting and forced leave.
The decision followed a board resolution last week and comes just weeks after Mushanawani was placed on leave, with chief technical officer Chris Muchechemera appointed acting chief executive.
Mushanawani was appointed CEO in 2021 during the tenure of former Information Communication Technology minister Jenfan Muswere, who later appointed him to the board of Zimbabwe Newspapers (Zimpapers) in 2023.
His time at the helm came under intense scrutiny in September 2025 when the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) arrested him over a US$1.2 million upgrade of NetOne’s SAGE 1000 accounting system.
Prosecutors alleged the contract was awarded to Lunartech Solutions without board approval at a time when a separate US$3.5 million enterprise resource planning [ERP] contract was already being implemented by Farevic Systems.
In November 2025, Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa removed him from remand, ruling there was insufficient evidence linking him to the alleged fraud.
However, in July 2026, NetOne placed him on forced leave, with Muchechemera taking over as acting CEO. At the time, NetOne maintained he was on approved annual leave until 13 August.
According to NewsDay’s sources, the board has now resolved not to renew his contract, citing alleged maladministration.
The claims include shielding the head of supply chain from disciplinary action despite a two-year-old board resolution calling for investigations into alleged dereliction of duty, and failing to implement a board-approved payment plan with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA).
More: NewsDay
Leave a Reply Cancel reply