The long-running legal dispute in the “please call me” saga between Vodacom and its former employee, Nkosana Makate, has taken another turn, this time in Makate’s favour.
The high court in Pretoria on Tuesday found that Vodacom had not offered Makate enough in settlement for his “invention” of the “please call me” offering.
According to a report by news website IOL, Vodacom must reconsider the amount it owes Makate — and, if the judgment stand, it will cost Vodacom significantly more than the R47-million it previously offered him in final settlement of the matter.
Although just who invented the “please call me” idea is strongly disputed, the constitutional court found that Makate had in fact done so and was entitled to be paid for the invention. The apex court left it up to Vodacom’s group CEO, currently Shameel Joosub, to determine a fair pay-out.
According to IOL, Joosub has been given one month by the high court to recalculate what it owes Makate, using guidelines the court provided. Justice Wendy Hughes ruled that he is entitled to 5% of the total voice revenue generated from “please call me” over a 20-year period, the report said.
Makate has previously claimed he is owed at least R10-billion in compensation from Vodacom.
In a statement to TechCentral on Tuesday, Vodacom said it will appeal the judgment.
“Vodacom remains of the view its negotiations with Mr Makate were held in good faith, as determined in the order of the constitutional court issued on 26 April 2016.” — © 2022 NewsCentral Media
