Developing Story: Netone board calls for emergency meeting
Moses Matenga
HARARE – The NetOne board members have called for an emergency meeting this morning to discuss a crisis triggered by the unilateral firing of more than eight of the firm’s top brass including the Chief Finance Officer and the Chief Operating Officer by the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Lazarus Muchenje.
Impeccable sources told Business Times that board members were livid by Muchenje’s action which claimed the scalp of Chief Finance Officer, Sibusisiwe Ndlovu, Brian Mutandiro the Chief Operating Officer among others.
All board members were reportedly stunned to hear that top executives who had steadied the NetOne ship in the last three years were given marching orders, unceremoniously.
Its said the executives were bundled out of their offices accompanied by security officers while they were immediately stripped of the company’s ICT gadgetry and their mobile phone numbers were blocked.
The emergency board meeting today is likely to reverse the Muchenje decisions and possibly reprimand the CEO who is yet to complete his probation at the state owned mobile network operator.
A board member confirmed the meeting today.
“A board meeting has been called for this morning. We want to deal with the crisis that has been created by the CEO,” a board member said.
Insiders say Muchenje thought he had the mandate to reorganize the firm to his taste. Others say he wanted to bring his people from his former employer, Vodacom South Africa and Vodacom Congo.
He is a board member at Vodacom Congo and remains such despite the conflict of interest of him being CEO at NetOne.
But his plans could backfire if the board decides to reverse his actions at the board meeting today.
Last night, Information Communication Technology and Cyber Security Minister Supa Mandiwanzira told Business Times that he was unaware of the shakeup at Netone and did not believe such a shakeup with far reaching consequences to the stability of NetOne would happen without the board consulting and advising him.
He said he would be getting a brief from the board on what was going on.
He expressed the view that the actions were potentially null and void.
More to follow…
