Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. A stormy legal and political showdown is brewing following the arrest and detention of NetOne chief executive officer, Raphael Mushanawani, on Monday on allegations of unauthorised procurement and contractual misconduct.
Mushanawani’s lawyers Rubaya and Chatambudza Legal Practitioners have written to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) demanding his immediate and unconditional release, describing their client’s arrest as “unlawful” and “a result of a coordinated smear campaign.”
The NetOne boss was arrested on allegations of entering into a contract with Lunartech Solutions (Pvt) Ltd to upgrade NetOne’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system from Sage 1000 to Sage L200, allegedly without the knowledge or approval of the executive committee or board. The deal was reportedly pegged at US$257,600.
Additionally, ZACC alleges that the CEO authorised two addendums to the contract, ballooning the total cost to US$1.2 million before entering into a separate, unapproved agreement with Diztech (Pvt) Ltd for US$79,467 in consultancy and training services.
In their five-page rebuttal, Mushanawani’s lawyers contended that the ERP system upgrade was not only above board but essential for business continuity. Citing a letter from Sage South Africa dated November 4,2024, the lawyers argued that the existing Sage 1000 system was approaching expiry date of December 31, 2024, after which no maintenance or support would be provided.
“The continued use of the product beyond 31 December 2024 represents a significant business risk to NetOne’s operations,” the lawyers wrote quoting from Sage’s correspondence.
They maintained that the decision to upgrade was already embedded in NetOne’s 2025 strategic plan, which was approved by the board, and that Mushanawani acted in line with the board’s directive.
“Contrary to your claims, the upgrading of the SAGE ERP 1000 to SAGE L200 was imperative… no one can then allege commission of the offence or concealing any transaction connected to the principal’s business,” the lawyers wrote.
The law firm also disputed the claim that US$1.2 million was paid, stating that only US$184,800 and US$88,002.57 were disbursed in relation to the project. Moreover, they deny any contractual relationship or payment to Diztech (Pvt) Ltd.
They suggested that Mushanawani’s arrest may be politically motivated, asserting that powerful individuals with vested interests in NetOne’s leadership had orchestrated his detention.
“Our client is aware that there are certain individuals who are targeting his post… the grand plan is for these instigators to take over as the people at the helm of NetOne,” the letter read.
The legal practitioners argued that the arrest lacked a factual basis and warn that their client “reserves the right to exercise his options in terms of the law at the appropriate time.”
They accused ZACC officers of failing to appreciate the technical differences between the ERP systems in question and of mishandling what is essentially an internal corporate matter.
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