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Harare Bureau
THE trial of suspended NetOne chief executive, Lazarus Muchenje and ex-board member Paradzai Mutandwa Chakona was yesterday deferred to next year as the witness, Ms Susan Muchaneta Mutangadura, was said to have travelled outside the country on a SADC related business.

Ms Mutangadura is the acting NetOne Board chairperson.

Muchenje and Chakona are charged with criminal abuse of office.

Harare provincial magistrate Mrs Vongai Guwuriro deferred the matter to January 8, 2021.

The two denied the charges when their trial opened.

They claimed that the allegations were part of the new board’s “bullying tactics” and that he and Chakona had acted according to their mandates and followed the practice at NetOne of allocating an official residence to the CEO.

NetOne states that such a benefit can be recommended by the human resources committee but must be approved by the full board before it is given.

Chakona, who is jointly charged with Muchenje, also denied the charges saying what he did was above board.
The two, represented by Advocate Taona Wayne Nyamakura and Mr Innocent Chingarande, told the court that NetOne had a policy of accommodating its chief executive in company houses.

They argued that according to the law, NetOne was not a public entity, but a private company although with the State as sole shareholder, and so they were not public officers.

It is alleged that the two connived to allocate Muchenje a housing benefit without NetOne board approval leading to the company losing $363 875 through underpayment of rent.