Share

Please Call Me inventor heads back to ConCourt

Johannesburg - Negotiations between the inventor of 'Please Call Me', Kenneth Makate, and Vodacom have hit a brick wall with the matter going back to court.

Makate has applied for an order at the Consitutional Court, seeking clarification on the import and meaning of a judgment handed down earlier this year. 

South Africa’s highest court ruled in April this year that Johannesburg-based Vodacom must compensate Makate for the Please Call Me idea.

In a statement to Fin24 on Friday, Vodacom said it had been committed to engaging in good faith negotiations to determine reasonable compensation for Makate in light of the judgment but that talks have stalled.

READ: Please Call Me inventor: ‘I still respect Knott-Craig’

“Despite our best efforts and endeavours in good faith, we are extremely disappointed that the negotiations have been put on hold by Mr Makate’s applying to the courts seeking a clarification on the import and meaning of the Constitutional Court Order," Vodacom said in a statement.

Vodacom further said that it "has made a number of attempts to resolve the current impasse and remains open to finding a fair solution through a process that will consider various computation methodologies, as opposed to one singular methodology demanded by Makate, to arrive at a reasonable amount of compensation to finally settle this matter”.

READ: Dispute threatens to delay Please Call Me talks

Makate, a former employee of Vodacom, is credited with coining the concept for the Please Call Me idea in 2001, which allows customers with no balance on their mobile phones to alert someone with a free text message.

Makate's victory in the Constitutional Court earlier this year came after years of legal battles over the matter.

Read Fin24's top stories trending on Twitter:

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.11
-0.0%
Rand - Euro
20.62
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.38
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.5%
Platinum
902.37
-2.3%
Palladium
1,004.75
-0.1%
Gold
2,152.94
-0.4%
Silver
24.93
-0.5%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,985
-0.4%
All Share
72,193
-0.3%
Resource 10
53,312
-0.0%
Industrial 25
99,623
-0.9%
Financial 15
16,647
+0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders