By Pau Ndou
HARARE – Top auctioneer and JEFFM Auctions director Jeffrey Mubaiwa has been cleared of fraud charges after NetOne Cellular (Pvt) Ltd formally withdrew its complaint, prompting the Harare Magistrates’ Court to strike the case off the roll,Afrodimensions can report.
Mubaiwa (47), who had been accused of failing to remit US$133 000 from the sale of obsolete NetOne assets walked free after the mobile operator retracted its allegations through a sworn affidavit filed by its Regional Loss Control Officer Takaiteyi Chitekwe.
The affidavit is dated October 14 2025 and was lodged at Kopje Plaza.
It confirmed that NetOne was “no longer interested in pursuing the matter,” stating that the dispute stemmed from contractual misunderstandings rather than any criminal conduct.
NetOne acknowledged that some of the issues raised “were not captured in the contract” and were meant to be resolved internally and not through criminal proceedings.
The company further affirmed that the matter had been settled amicably and would not be reinstated “in any other court of law.”
The withdrawal collapsed the State’s case, which had alleged that Mubaiwa failed to remit funds from a July 13 auction that generated US$172 204 from the sale of decommissioned vehicles, furniture and equipment. Prosecutors had initially claimed he was supposed to remit the funds within 48 hours.
NetOne’s revised position confirmed that the dispute was administrative and contractual, effectively removing any criminal basis for prosecution.
With the complainant disowning the allegations, the magistrate ruled that the State had no legal grounds to proceed, resulting in Mubaiwa’s full clearance.
The development restores the professional reputation of the veteran auctioneer and paves the way for him to resume full duties at JEFFM Auctions without the cloud of criminal charges.
NetOne’s certified withdrawal conclusively dispels earlier claims of fraud or money laundering, bringing the matter to a definitive close. The company’s move has also been viewed as an affirmation of its commitment to due process and corporate governance.