By: Natasha Archary

‘Please Call Me’ inventor Nkosana Makate will not settle on Vodacom’s “insufficient offer” of R47 million.
This as the network provider aims to appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal to reverse the judgement of the Pretoria High Court for Makate to be entitled to a percentage of the revenue generated from his invention of the Please Call Me (PCM) service.
In February 2022, Vodacom was ordered to increase the offer it put forward to Makate, saying the inventor of the call me service should be compensated 5% of the total voice revenue generated from the PCM product from March 2001 to March 2021.
Makate has been embroiled in the legal battle with Vodacom for 23 years, having first suggesting the idea to the CEO Alan-Knott Craig in 2000.
Despite assuring Makate, who was a junior account at Vodacom at the time, that he would be compensated for his concept, Craig claimed the PCM service was his brainchild.
In 2007, Makate wrote to Vodacom regarding the compensation he was promised, and then approached the High Court in 2008 after he was given no validation of the agreement.
Makate then sued Vodacom in 2013 and has been fighting for a fair settlement offer, but Vodacom continues to drag its feet, declaring there are insufficient records reflecting profits from the service.
According to Vodacom, the ‘Please Call Me’ concept does not generate the business any profits as it is a free service.
Makate’s case against Vodacom continues.
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