Vodacom’s deal ‘an insult’

NKOSANA Makate, the man credited with inventing the “Please Call Me” callback service, has called a compensation deal by his former employer Vodacom an insult.

According to Makate, Vodacom had made an offer for what it termed “reasonable compensation” on Wednesday.

“There is absolutely no agreement, this is an insult and it is shocking, it is horrendous,” said Makate. He was meeting his legal team to see what options were available to him.

The deal comes almost a decade after Makate started court proceedings against Vodacom for credit and financial compensation for the service that allows customers with a zero balance on their cellphones to contact someone free of charge with the SMS message, “Please Call Me”.

Makate came up with the idea to develop the service, although a former chief executive first took credit for the product.

“Vodacom can confirm that the group chief executive has met the legal representatives to convey his decision and determination on reasonable compensation,” spokesperson Byron Kennedy said.

“In the spirit of the confidentiality agreement both parties signed as part of the negotiating process, Vodacom will not disclose the amount set by the chief executive.”

Makate said: “Vodacom has not apologised for its despicable conduct for the past 18 years as found by the Constitutional Court.”

He did not say what he was offered by Vodacom.

Makate, 42, took the idea to Vodacom’s product-development team while he was working in the finance division in the early 2000s.

Alan Knott-Craig, who was the chief executive at that time, had to determine reasonable compensation for the idea, which didn’t happen then. | Shaun Smillie