Lawyers demand NetOne CEO release

NetOne Cellular (Pvt) Ltd chief executive Raphael Mushanawani's lawyers have demanded his immediate and unconditional release following his arrest on allegations of a US$1.2 million fraud involving local software company Lunartech Solutions (Pvt) Ltd.

Mushanawani, who was taken into custody on Tuesday, is accused of engaging Lunartech Solutions without the approval of NetOne's executive committee and board to upgrade the company's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system from Sage 1000 to Sage L200.

However, in a strongly worded letter to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), Mushanawani's lawyers, Rubaya and Chatambudza, described the arrest as unlawful, saying the allegations were "fabricated and false."

"Our client is at a loss as to why he finds himself languishing in police custody over an issue which exposes your officers' lack of understanding of IT systems," the lawyers wrote.

They argued that the SAP ERP system, which NetOne contracted Farevic Systems to supply and implement, was "totally different" from Sage 1000 and Sage L200. They added that NetOne has used Sage 1000 for years to manage its core business operations but the system had reached the "end-of-sale" stage, with Sage South Africa notifying the company that maintenance and support would stop after December 31, 2024.

Rubaya and Chatambudza said this necessitated an upgrade to Sage L200 — a move they said was imperative to reduce operational risks and was covered by the company's 2025 Strategic Plan, which had been approved by the board.

"Contrary to your claims, the upgrading of the Sage ERP 1000 to Sage L200 was imperative … This was key and had been approved by the board," the lawyers said.

They also dismissed allegations that Mushanawani authorised contract addendums amounting to US$1.2 million, stating that the only payments made so far were US$184,800 and US$88,002.57. They further denied claims that NetOne signed an unapproved contract with Diztech (Pvt) Ltd for US$79,467 for consultancy services, saying no such agreement existed and no payment was made.

The lawyers alleged that Mushanawani was the victim of a "well-orchestrated ploy" to remove him from his position at the helm of NetOne.

"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.

Mushanawani, they said, had acted in the best interests of the company and was now being "victimised for doing things right."

ZACC has not yet publicly responded to the claims raised by Mushanawani's legal team.