“There’s no price to be relieved of the stress, to have a normal life without litigation hanging over your head.”
This was ‘Please Call Me’ (PCM) inventor Nkosana Makate’s reaction when asked about the out-of-court settlement reached with Vodacom over compensation for his lucrative idea.
Makate 49, said he was restricted by confidentiality clauses and non-disclosure agreements, which were part of the settlement.
He said he cannot speak about the amount agreed or the latest engagement with Vodacom, which saw them averting another round of their protracted legal battle in the Supreme Court of Appeal.
“I am subject to confidentiality and I cannot say anything around the entire process,” he said.
However, he expressed massive relief that he can have a normal life without drafting and reading court papers.
“One can move forward with one’s life and that’s it,” Makate said.
Makate was 24 at the start of the conflict with Vodacom — first for recognition and later for fair compensation.
“This (legal battle with Vodacom) has taken more than half of my life. I would be lying if I said I would want to do this again. I am sure there would be lessons for people to learn from the battle,” he said.
Asked who reached out to whom ahead of the out-of-court settlement, Makate said: “I can’t say that. I can’t say anything around how much ... I can’t say those kinds of things.”
The matter has been settled by the parties. Both parties are glad that finality has been reached in this regard.
— Vodacom spokesperson
In court papers Makate was demanding a 5% share of the profits derived from PCM by Vodacom over an 18-year period that would have put his compensation at about R9bn. However, that depended on the model used to calculate the revenue.
A Vodacom spokesperson said: “The matter has been settled by the parties. Both parties are glad that finality has been reached in this regard.”
Vodacom, in a statement released on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s news service on Wednesday, said the board had approved a settlement agreement.
“The settlement has been accounted for in the group’s interim results for the six-month period ended 30 September 2025,” said Vodacom.
Makate, who rejected a R47m compensation offer from Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub six years ago, believed the company should compensate him as if he had an 18-year contract with them for his lucrative idea as it was a value-added service.
The telecommunications giant, however, argued Makate should be compensated for just five years, as they would have never entered into a lengthy 18-year contract back in 2001.
Vodacom has been using PCM since January 2001 and disputes that it would have entered into a contract with Makate that would have gone beyond five years.
The matter made two trips to the Constitutional Court which in 2016 ruled that Makate had to be recognised for his idea and that negotiations have to be held in good faith for his compensation.
The R47m offer he rejected was already more than R80m in value with interest.
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