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Prosper Dembedza

Court Correspondent

Harare magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje has temporarily released the passport of NetOne chief executive officer Mr Lazarus Muchenje to allow him to go for business trips.

Muchenje, who was recently reinstated as Netone’s CEO by High Court judge Justice Webster Chinamhora had submitted that he needed temporary release of his passport in order to travel to South Africa for business meetings.

Muchenje was dismissed on three months’ notice in July last year, but then made an urgent chamber application at the High Court challenging his dismissal and an interim order was granted in his favour suspending the letter of termination.

NetOne tried on 21 December 2020 to fire him on the same basis, using common law or notice of termination according to the Labor Act.

In his ruling, Justice Chinamhora said he had come to the conclusion that there was no inconsistence between the Labour Act and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act within the contemplation of section 2A (3) of the Labour Act.

The provisions of section 12(4) should not have been utilised to bring an end to Muchenje’s employment, he said.

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