Former NetOne boss, Reward Kangai loses $2 million defamation lawsuit

These days things are relatively quiet at NetOne. There was a time when there were so many boardroom squabbles over there that hardly a week would go by without news of the scandal. At the centre of most of these issues and fights was the company’s former CEO Reward Kangai who was eventually let go. True to form the latest after wave of this tumultuous period also involves him.

The last we heard, the former NetOne boss had filed a lawsuit against his former employer NetOne. The suit also named other defendants including the staff from the state-owned Herald newspaper. Mr Kangai was unhappy with an article the Herald had published on March 11 2016 and claimed that he had been defamed in the same article. He filed his defamation suit with the High Court in September of 2019 more than three years later.

It seems just like with Mr Kangai the wheels of justice are rather slow. The High Court recently ruled on the issue against the former NetOne gaffer. Below are excepts from the judgement.

On September 5, 2019, the respondent, who is a former chief executive officer of the applicant, sued the latter and five other defendants. He claimed certain specified sums of money against them. He alleged that the applicant, a legal entity which is registered according to the laws of Zimbabwe and its co-defendants defamed him. The applicant entered to appear to defend. It filed its plea on November 27, 2019. It filed this application on October 23, 2020. It pleaded in the same, that the claim of the respondent is frivolous and vexatious as against it.

Part of High Court judge Justice David Mangota

In their defence, NetOne had pointed out that they were not the ones that authorised the publication of the article in question. They also pointed out that they were not the ones who had published the article which as noted above had appeared in the Herald of March 2016. NetOne also pointed out the inordinately long amount of time it had taken Mr Kangai to finally file his suit-a glaring three years.

Coincidentally or not, NetOne has also sued their former CEO for a similar amount claiming that they had suffered losses as a result of him mismanaging some funds during his time. So is this the final episode in the NetOne-Reward Kangai show? Only time will tell.