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The resignation has raised the ire of the Affirmative Action Group which has demanded that Mr Francis Mawindi’s resignation be investigated amid strong suspicion that he could have been elbowed out.
Mr Makamba announced from his foreign base that Mr Mawindi had stepped down to pursue interests outside the group and that Swiss national and Canadian resident Mr John Swaim had taken over on an interim basis. He also announced the appointment of Mrs Angeline Vere as general manger.
Mr Makamba is a shareholder in Telecel, together with deposed former chairperson Dr Jane Mutasa, in Empowerment Corporation, which holds 40 percent shares in the country’s second largest mobile telecommunications company which has never declared a dividend despite operating in a highly profitable hi-tech industry. Major shareholders in the Empowerment Corporation are Dr Mutasa, through Selpon Investments, and Mr Makamba’’s Kestrel Corporation.
“Those who follow boardroom politics (at Telecel) will understand that what this amounts to is that Mr Mawindi was forced to step down and the fundamental questions that arise from this episode are many,” said AAG chief executive Mr Davidson Gomo.
The lobby group suspects Mr Mawindi was forced out because the major shareholder, with a controlling 60 percent stake, wields too much power and also has the management contract. It alleges that the dominant shareholder “could be uncomfortable” with a CEO who would not “play ball” as per the paymaster’s order.
Telecel, which is controlled by Egyptian company Orascom has previously come under fire from the AAG and disgruntled workers over its perceived preference of foreign executives in key management positions.
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The country’s second biggest mobile telecommunications operator has had three different CEOs in six years in Mr Rex Chibesa (2007), Mr Aimable Mupore in 2008, Mr Swaim (2011) — his second stint at the helm — and Mr Mawindi (2012), a telling statement of the shareholders’ style in appointing people to executive positions in the group.
“Why is Francis Mawindi leaving now hardly a year in office and when he appeared to have been doing very well — all things being equal? Can the board tell us exactly who is replacing him and if so, is that person indigenous?” he asked.
“If not indigenous, what qualifications and experience does that person have and can Telecel demonstrate beyond any reasonable doubt, that they cannot find a Zimbabwean with similar qualifications and experience?” It is not yet clear whether Mr Makamba, who skipped the country in 2007, has the legitimate right to comment on Telecel as chairperson.
Efforts to get an official comment from Telecel were unsuccessful yesterday. Telecel public relations exective Mr Francis Chimanda said all senior executives were attending a workshop. He asked for questions in writing, but no response could be obtained as management was only expected back in the office today.
The AAG said it was reliably informed that Mr Mawindi may have been sacrificed because he was uncomfortable with the idea of awarding contracts to foreign companies when Zimbabwean companies could do the job.
Online Reporter