Makate ‘insulted’ by Vodacom offer

Nkosana Makate, the former employee behind the “Please Call Me” service, says he is weighing his options after Vodacom decided on a “ridiculous and insulting” sum of money to settle a long-standing dispute between them.

Vodacom said at the weekend it considered the matter “finally settled and closed” after its CEO, Shameel Joosub, had decided on a “reasonable” payment for Makate who came up with the idea in late 2000.

The mobile operator did not disclose the amount, citing a confidentiality agreement.

This comes nearly three years after the Constitutional Court ruled that Makate must be compensated for coming up with the idea behind the service, which lets subscribers request call-backs for no charge.

The court did not set parameters for what “reasonable compensation” should be if the parties could not reach an agreement. After negotiations on a fair compensation reached a deadlock, it fell to Joosub to arbitrate on the matter. He received oral and written representations from both parties in October 2018 before deciding on the amount to be paid.

Makate told Business Day on Sunday that the sum offered to him was “ridiculous and insulting” and he was consulting his legal team to “explore the remedies available to us”. He said, “Vodacom has not apologised for their despicable conduct for the past 18 years, as found by the Constitutional Court.”

A Vodacom spokesperson said the company would pay Makate “as soon as we have the banking account details”. The company said Joosub had met Makate’s legal representatives to convey his decision.

In June 2018 the company approached the High Court in Pretoria to obtain an interdict prohibiting Makate from disclosing any details about the discussions to external parties. But the matter was not heard as Makate did not oppose it.