Despite the raging coronavirus, NetOne’s boardroom
squabbles are showing no signs of abetting.
Board member Dr Douglas Mamvura faces the chop for
reportedly failing to attend crucial meetings since his appointment last year —
although indications are he was not officially invited for most of the
meetings, Sunday Mail Business can reveal.
This comes at a time unconfirmed reports say another NetOne
board member has been sacked for misconduct.
This will bring the number of directors to leave the board
of the country’s second-largest mobile telecoms company in two months to five
after three others, including board chair Mr James Mutizwa, resigned in
February this year for different reasons.
Chief executive officer Mr Lazarus Muchenje was also
suspended in February for alleged incompetence. The matter is still before the
courts.
Highly placed sources in the company told The Sunday Mail
Business that Dr Mamvura, a renowned marketing expert, was recently notified by
the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier
Services that he was going to be removed from the board for failing to attend
key meetings.
Dr Mamvura was appointed on October 18 last year by former
ICT Minister Kazembe Kazembe. His appointment letter was copied to the then Deputy
Minister, Dr Jenfan Muswere, and to Permanent Secretary, Engineer Samuel
Kundishora, only.
However, the board was not officially informed of Dr
Mamvura’s appointment, it emerged. He then notified the NetOne company
secretary of his appointment in February this year and was invited to attend a
special board meeting on February 13.
He was, however, asked to leave the meeting and report to
the ministry “for a brief”.
“He is now being accused of not having attended board
meetings to which he was never invited,” said one source, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because the matter is private.
Dr Mamvura declined to comment on the matter and referred
questions to the ministry. Minister Muswere told this publication to “call the
office number”, which was not answered.
He later texted, asking the reporter to send questions,
which he did not respond. Follow-up calls yielded no results.
In a letter to Minister Muswere on February 17 this year, a
copy of which was gleaned by this publication, Dr Mamvura said it was not his
fault that he had not attended meetings as he was never invited.
He also copied the letter to NetOne company secretary so
that he would be included in future meetings.
In an interview with our sister paper, The Herald, last
month, Dr Mamvura said “it is a mystery” that he was being denied a chance to
attend meetings since his appointment.
“I was properly appointed but I was never advised of any meetings,”
he said. “I don’t know why I am being blocked.”
Dr Mamvura said he had accepted the appointment as a call
“to national service as a Zimbabwean”.
NetOne insiders claim the remaining board members have now
turned themselves into executives as they are spending hours at NetOne,
directing operations, audits and other day-to-day company operations.
Concerns have also been raised over the board’s decision to
appoint an acting chief executive from second-tier management although there
are two substantive chief officers — Mr Darlington Gutu, the chief technical
officer; and Mr Kuda Nyashanu, the chief human resources officer.
The acting CEO Ms Chipo Jaisson is head of finance. Since
the resignation of the three board members, the board now does not have any
functional committees.
It is alleged the role of the committees has now been
usurped by individual board members especially, who are now carrying out the
work of committees as individuals and without any structured meetings. Sunday
Mail
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