SA’s ‘Please Call Me’ inventor ordered to pay Vodacom R13 million
Things just went from “Please Call Me” to “Please Pay Me”: Nkosana Makate ordered to pay Vodacom R13 million
The Please Call Me saga (aka the David vs. Goliath story) that’s gripped South Africa for nearly two decades has just taken another wild turn.
Although this time, "David’s" wallet is the one feeling the sting.
Nkosana Makate, the man credited with inventing Vodacom’s famous “Please Call Me” service, has now been ordered to pay the telecom giant R13 million in legal costs after a Constitutional Court ruling turned the tide in Vodacom's favour.
The man who said “Please Call Me” may now need to say, “Please Call My Lawyer… again.”
How did we get here?
The story dates back to the year 2000, when Makate, then a trainee at Vodacom, came up with the idea for a free message service that allowed users with no airtime to request a call back.
Vodacom rolled with it and the idea blew up. It became one of the most-used mobile services in South Africa - the OG lifesaver before WhatsApp and Wi-Fi calling were a thing.
Makate, however, claimed that Vodacom promised to compensate him for his idea… but never did.
So began a legal battle that's stretched for nearly two decades, from the High Court to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA), and now the Constitutional Court.
Vodacom's CEO had initially offered an award of R47 million, which Makate rejected stating it was insufficient and it was based on flawed calculations.
In early 2024, the SCA ruled that Vodacom must pay Makate between 5% and 7.5% of all revenue generated by Please Call Me over the past 18 years.
That figure could’ve amounted to around R29 billion.
But Vodacom wasn’t about to let that one slide. The company appealed to the Constitutional Court and won.
The ConCourt not only set aside the SCA’s order but also instructed Makate to foot Vodacom’s hefty legal bill.
That’s R13 million in legal costs.
The court justified the unusual decision by citing the “size of the record, the complexity and novelty of the issues, and the very large amount at stake.”
In simpler terms: this case was massive and expensive.
Despite the setback, Makate isn’t throwing in the towel. He’s made it clear that this isn’t the end of the road.
“I am resilient,” he said earlier this year. “We will go back to the SCA.”
So, while Vodacom might’ve scored this round, Makate’s battle for recognition (and compensation) continues.
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