NetOne Chief Executive Officer Raphael Mushanawani’s arrest on fraud allegations totaling US$1.2 million has drawn a fierce response from his legal team, who label the charges a “political hit job” and an unlawful, fabricated plot to unseat him.
In a strongly worded letter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Mushanawani’s lawyer, Admire Rubaya, described the CEO as "a victim in a well-orchestrated ploy to extirpate him from the helm of NetOne." Rubaya implied the accusations were driven by internal power struggles, noting that while individuals targeting the post had “name-dropped very powerful individuals,” he insisted that “there is no involvement of any such political figures.”
ZACC alleges that Mushanawani acted without board knowledge or approval when he engaged Lunartech Solutions (Pvt) Ltd to upgrade the company’s SAGE 1000 system. This occurred despite NetOne having already signed a US$3.5 million contract with Farevic Systems (Pvt) Ltd to install a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform.
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Mushanawani’s lawyers categorically deny the lack of approval, insisting the board sanctioned the upgrade. They argue the upgrade was technically essential because the developer of SAGE 1000 in South Africa is phasing out the system. “An upgrade to SAGE L200 was imperative and a viable alternative to ensure continued operations and avoid hacking risks,” the defense contended.
Furthermore, the defense clarified that the two systems—the upgraded SAGE and the new ERP—were required to run concurrently until the new ERP was fully functional, citing that this was "part of the 2025 Strategic Plan to modernise the technology infrastructure.”
The defense also contested ZACC’s claimed fraud amount, disputing the allegation that Mushanawani signed addendums worth US$1.2 million. The letter states, “The only payments made are US$184,800 and US$88,002.57.” They also refuted the allegation of an unapproved US$79,467 consultancy deal with Diztech (Pvt) Ltd, stressing that “no contract was ever signed and not a dime has been paid.”
“Our client is being victimised for doing things right and acting in the best interests of his principal,” the lawyers concluded, calling on ZACC to disregard “the machinations of his detractors.”
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