NetOne company secretary arrested over alleged obstruction of justice in fraud case
HARARE – Plaxedes Chikutu, the Company Secretary of state-owned telecommunications firm NetOne Private Limited, has been arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) in connection with allegations of obstructing justice in a criminal investigation involving two NetOne employees accused of hacking and financial fraud.
According to ZACC, Chikutu is accused of improperly handling the suspension and subsequent recommendation for reinstatement of Anotida Munyaradzi, a Billing Engineer, and Linda Mutemeri, a Brand Officer.
The two employees were under investigation for allegedly gaining unauthorised access to and manipulating NetOne’s systems, with potential links to financial irregularities.
ZACC is alleging that in July 2024, Chikutu suspended Munyaradzi and Mutemeri without consulting NetOne’s Human Resources or Loss Control departments, reportedly violating company protocol.
This alleged breach allowed the two suspects to remain in possession of their company laptops.
It is further alleged that one of these laptops, believed to contain crucial evidence for the ongoing police investigation, was formatted after Chikutu reportedly instructed the employees not to surrender it, leading to the destruction of vital data.
Subsequently, in January 2025, Chikutu reportedly recommended the reinstatement of both Munyaradzi and Mutemeri, along with the payment of their outstanding salaries. This recommendation was reportedly based on alleged procedural errors in their initial suspension.
Chikutu is scheduled to appear before Harare’s Rotten Row Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to face charges related to the alleged obstruction of justice. The investigation into the alleged hacking and financial fraud by the two NetOne employees is reportedly ongoing.
Mutemeri and Munyaradzi, were charged with attempting to unlawfully access and disclose the company’s data code in July 2024. Although they failed, NetOne considered their attempt a determined and persistent effort to break into the financial systems and steal money.
They were accused of working with a known hacker, Blessing Tizirai Mudarikwa, who remains at large. From February to July 2023, the trio allegedly communicated through WhatsApp and conference calls to plan how to gain unauthorised access to NetOne’s system.
The court heard that Mutemeri and Munyaradzi shared confidential internal configurations of NetOne with Mudarikwa and connected their computers to the system, enabling him to access it.
However, strong control mechanisms in the pool account system prevented him from accessing the pool account.
The attempted breach potentially compromised NetOne’s financial resources, putting them at risk of huge prejudice. The two employees were later released on bail.
