Vodacom to Appeal Supreme Court Ruling on ‘Please Call Me’ Case

In a significant development, Vodacom has announced its intention to appeal the recent Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling in the long-running ‘Please Call Me‘ case. Nkosana Makate, the inventor of the popular service, has been granted the right to a new compensation offer by the SCA.

In response to the ruling, Vodacom expressed its surprise and disappointment, stating that it would file an application for leave to appeal before the Constitutional Court of SA. The telecommunications giant remains determined to contest the SCA judgment and seek a different outcome.

Earlier this year, the SCA dismissed Vodacom’s application to appeal a previous ruling by the High Court in Pretoria regarding the compensation owed to Makate. Instead, the SCA substituted a portion of the High Court ruling, setting aside Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub’s R47-million determination and ordering him to determine a new offer.

Makate has long maintained that he is entitled to a percentage of the total voice revenue generated from the ‘Please Call Me’ service for the past 18 years. The SCA ruling supports his claim and mandates Vodacom to make a new offer, specifying that Makate should be paid between 5% and 7.5% of the total revenue earned from the product.

This latest development further delays a potential windfall for Makate, who has been battling to secure a fair compensation package for his invention.