Vodacom Settles “Please Call Me” Dispute with Nkosana Makate Out of Court
Vodacom has finally put an end to the 17-year-long dispute over the “Please Call Me” service with its former employee, Nkosana Makate. The telecommunications giant announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Makate, with the exact figure remaining undisclosed.
According to Vodacom’s statement, the board approved the settlement, which has been accounted for in the company’s interim results for the six months ended September 30, 2025. As part of the settlement, Vodacom has withdrawn its appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal and abandoned the February 2022 judgment in the matter.
The “Please Call Me” saga began when Makate, a former Vodacom employee, claimed he was owed billions of rand for his idea, which allowed mobile users to send free “please call me” messages to other users. The concept became a huge success, generating billions of rand in revenue for Vodacom.
The dispute has been dragging on since 2008, with various court rulings and appeals. In 2016, the Constitutional Court ruled that Vodacom should negotiate reasonable compensation with Makate. The Supreme Court of Appeal later ruled that Makate was entitled to between 5% and 7.5% of the revenue generated from the service over 18 years, which could have amounted to billions of rand.
The settlement brings closure to a long and complex dispute, with Vodacom stating that the parties are “glad that finality has been reached in this regard
