After more than 20 years of legal battles, Vodacom and Kenneth Makate have finally reached a resolution over the creation of the iconic “Please Call Me” service. The two parties agreed to settle out of court, though the financial terms remain private.
In a statement to shareholders on Wednesday, Vodacom said its board had approved the settlement, marking the end of a legal saga that has drawn national attention. The company noted that the outcome will be reflected in its upcoming interim financial results.
“The matter has now reached finality, and both parties are satisfied with the resolution,” Vodacom said.
As part of the process, Vodacom withdrew its appeal from the Supreme Court of Appeal and abandoned the High Court’s 2022 judgment.
The dispute began in 2001, when Makate shared his idea for a free missed-call service with a Vodacom supervisor. The service, which allows users to alert contacts without spending airtime, was simple but revolutionary. Makate says he was promised compensation that never materialized, prompting him to take legal action in 2008.
Over the years, the case wound through multiple courts, including the Constitutional Court, which ruled that Vodacom needed to pay Makate fairly. Vodacom initially offered R10 million, later increasing it to R47 million—an offer Makate rejected. Subsequent rulings, appeals, and calculations suggested that compensation could have ranged from R29 billion to R55 billion, though Makate maintained he was seeking roughly R9.7 billion.
The Constitutional Court eventually criticized the Supreme Court of Appeal for relying solely on data from Makate’s team without fully considering Vodacom’s evidence. It ordered a new hearing before a differently constituted panel of judges.
Now, after decades of legal wrangling, both sides can finally move on. For Makate, it’s a long-awaited recognition of his idea that changed the way South Africans communicate. For Vodacom, it’s the closure of one of the country’s most high-profile legal battles in the telecom sector.
“This is a landmark moment, not just for the parties involved, but for innovators everywhere who are fighting to have their ideas recognized and rewarded,” one legal analyst commented.