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The NetOne Board members and senior executive management today signed the corporate and integrity pledge provided by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), becoming the second state-owned enterprise to do so after the Zimbabwe National Road Administration (ZINARA).
In his keynote address during the signing ceremony today in Harare, Mr. Michael Reza, the ZACC Chairman, said the event was a statement of NetOne’s unwavering commitment to institutional integrity and ethical governance.
A corporate pledge is a formal commitment or promise made by an organization or a corporation to uphold certain values, principles, and standards and demonstrates the organization’s devotion to ethical behavior, social responsibility, and governance.
Mr. Reza said in the intricate landscape of modern telecommunications, corruption has long been a shadow that threatens to undermine collective national progress. He said corruption is not a simple administrative challenge.
“Corruption is a systemic malady that corrodes the very foundations of our economic and social development. Every instance of corrupt practice, whether manifested through bribes, criminal abuse of duty, illicit procurement, manipulated spectrum allocation, or compromised service contracts, represents a fundamental betrayal of public trust and national potential.
“The telecommunications sector is more than just an industry. It is the critical nervous system of a modern economy. It connects businesses, facilitates communication, drives technological innovation, and serves as the backbone of digital transformation. When corruption infiltrates this vital infrastructure, the consequences extend far beyond the immediate financial implications. Such corruption undermines investor confidence, distorts market mechanisms, impedes technological advancement, and ultimately imposes the heaviest burden on the most vulnerable segments of our society,” Mr Reza said
To that end, he said the corporate pledge that NetOne signed today transcends the realm of traditional corporate compliance – it represents a comprehensive, multifaceted approach to institutional transformation.
“As Net One, you will not be merely signing a document but you will be initiating a cultural revolution that will fundamentally shape your conceptualization and implementation of ethical practices within the organization and by extension the entire telecommunications ecosystem,” Mr Reza added.
Engineer Taurai Maurukira, the Netone Board Chairman, said the NetOne Board has got 100% buy-in of the pledge
“Chairman, we have been updated on the progress so far within NetOne. And that is, two weeks ago, an integrity committee was trained by ZACC, from which a working plan, an action plan was drafted. Our role as a board is to ensure that it happens. And we support that committee to do its work and to do what it is supposed to do.
“The board is also aware that there is going to be a need for some anti-corruption awareness sessions and workshops. And the board has also been made aware that there is going to be a need for sensitization workshops… We are going to have to approve the strategic plan, and within that strategic plan, we are saying to management, that if it doesn’t incorporate the operations of the integrity committees and its activities, they should revise and submit it to the board when it fully incorporates those activities.
“We have also been advised that there is going to be a need to review our policies in line and to incorporate the other activities of the integrity committees. And that shall be done. And I am very happy, chairman, that it has been mentioned and very clearly that the operations of the integrity committee are going to enhance the operations of the NetOne business,” Engineer Maurukira said
He highlighted NetOne’s intention to move from the current US$170 million profits per annum to US$1 billion per annum by 2030. With it, one of the strategies is to close the leakages in revenue due to corruption.
Mrs Clara Nyakotyo, the ZACC General Manager of Prevention of Corruption said that integrity committees are part and parcel of the strategies under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, to which Zimbabwe is a signatory.
“So what it does is that an institution that takes the lead in the fight against corruption is expected to spearhead the coming up of these strategies and, of course, monitor the effectiveness of those strategies. What we are simply doing is that when we come up with these action plans, we then make sure that they come up with action plans that are not like window shopping or wishful thinking.
“We would want a practical action plan that speaks to the challenges of NetOne. So what it does now, the monitoring aspect is that they will identify the action plans and items that they want to implement, say, for example, first quarter, second quarter, and third quarter,” she said
Engineer Raphael Mushanawani, the NetOne Group Chief executive Officer, said by establishing itself as a benchmark of ethical excellence, Net One will be destined to attract high-quality investments, reduce compliance risks, and reputational damage, and create a ripple effect that can transform entire industry ecosystems.
He said international investors and partners are increasingly recognizing that technological capability is intrinsically linked to governance quality.
The ZACC’s partnership with Net One and other players in the mobile telecommunication industry to prevent corrupt practices will improve the quality of the environment where such practices become increasingly difficult to conceive, let alone execute.
To realize that fit, mobile network operators would be expected to sail as national digital sentinel, continuously monitoring, analyzing, and protecting the integrity of our economic infrastructure.
The economic argument against corruption is compelling and irrefutable. Research consistently demonstrates that corrupt practices can reduce a nation’s economic growth potential by up to 5% annually.
