DURBAN - There is still no judgment six months after Judge Wendy Hughes presided over the matter to review the determination by Vodacom on how much “Please Call Me” owner Nkosana Makate would receive for the idea he gave the company.
The matter was heard on May 5-7 in the South Gauteng High Court where judgment for the review hearing of the R47 million compensation, offered by Vodacom, was reserved by Judge Hughes who has since been appointed to the Supreme Court of Appeal.
Makate’s lawyer Wilna Lubbe said she did not have information on why there was a delay in the matter.
“Unfortunately, I do not have any more information. Only the judge and the Deputy Judge President’s office will know.”
Makate told the Daily News that he had confidence in the court and hoped it would do the right thing.
Makate rejected the initial R47 million compensation offer made by Vodacom, stating that he deserved at least more than R10 billion in compensation from the giant telecommunications company.
The nearly 21-year court battle stems from when Makate, while working at the company as a trainee, proposed the “Please Call Me” idea in 2000. He pitched the idea and had a verbal agreement with the company’s then-director of product development and management, Philip Geissler.
The concept was immediately taken up and the service was launched in February 2001.
When Makate failed to convince Vodacom to compensate him and never received payment for his idea, he laid a charge against the company and won the case.
Contacted for comment, the Judicial Service Commission said that it would respond in due course.
Advocate Trengove, SC, for Vodacom had initially argued that the monies offered by Vodacom were over-generous, an argument which Makate’s legal team strongly opposed.
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