A South African court has declared that Nkosana Makate, the creator of the “Please Call Me” call back service, is entitled to 5% of the total voice revenue earned by the micro-text service from March 2001 to March 2021.
This is a significant increase above the sum Vodacom previously provided following a Constitutional Court ruling in 2019.
The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria also ruled that the inventor is entitled to 27% of the revenue generated by the ‘Please Call Me’ service’s returned calls.
Judge Wendy Hughes ordered Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub to complete the agreement within a month of the directives being made.
Joosub was also ordered to recalculate Makate’s payment of 5% of overall voice revenue earned by the service, as well as the total voice revenue acquired from the prepaid, contract, and interconnect fees.
Makate was clearly pleased with the court’s verdict, and he expressed his delight on his Twitter account.
“Madam Justice Hughes 4A concise and solid judgment. I am refueled with energy,” Makate tweeted.
“THANKS TO ALL WHO SUPPORTED ME. ANOTHER VICTORY AT THE HIGH COURT,” he tweeted
Vodacom, on the other hand, has stated that it will appeal the court’s judgment. The corporation had earlier offered Sh354 million, which is considered to be excessive.
“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,” Vodacom said.
In February 2001, the “Please Call Me” service was established. It allows Vodacom and Safaricom mobile customers to send a free call back text through a USSD code.
Makate created the service while still employed by Vodacom, and it has so far earned the company Sh526 billion.
