Vodacom ordered to pay ‘Please Call Me’ inventor R29 billion

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has ordered South African cellphone giant Vodacom to pay Kenneth Nkosana Makate at least R29 billion for his ‘Please Call Me’ proposal.

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According to court records obtained by MyBroadband, the Supreme Court has ordered Vodacom to pay 47-year-old Makate between R28.99 billion and R55.37 billion.

The exact wording of the Supreme Court ruling read: “The applicant is entitled to be paid 5%-7.5% of the total revenue of the [Please Call Me] product from March 2001 to date of judgment by the Second Respondent, together with the Mora Interest thereon, alternatively interest in terms of Section 2A(5) of the Prescribed Rate of Interest Act.”.

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Makate, a former Vodacom finance manager, is credited with presenting the basic idea that was ultimately developed into ‘Please Call Me’.

Although Makate was not involved in the development or launch of the product, the case hinged on the fact that Makate’s manager had promised him compensation for the idea.

KENNETH NKOSANA MAKATE WANTS TO MOVE TO INDIA AFTER VODACOM SAGA

Makate has been elevated overnight into one of the richest people in South Africa.

He recently said that when the long-standing court case between him and Vodacom is finally over, that he wants to move to India to meditate and forget about Vodacom.

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Vodacom previously said it will challenge the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Constitutional Court.

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Should Vodacom end up paying Kenneth Nkosana Makate his mega pay day, it could result in anything from job cuts to price hikes at the mobile operator.