A pittance for Call Me inventor?
Makate takes steps to secure billions he says Vodacom owes him
Vodacom offered R10-million to Please Call Me inventor Nkosana Makate as compensation for an idea that purportedly has earned the company billions, a figure that is believed to be less than his legal fees for a court battle spanning a decade. The amount is disclosed in complaints that have been filed by Makate with the Independent Regulatory Board of Auditors (IRBA) and the Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC) against Vodacom and its auditors, PwC, for alleged reckless management and misrepresentation of annual financial statements. Authorities confirmed receipt of the complaints and said they were weighing their merits for investigation. Vodacom and PwC said they were unaware of the complaints. Please Call Me had generated a windfall for the company since its implementation 17 years ago, according to the papers. Makate's idea was for a cellphone user without airtime to send a message to another user and request a return call, generating revenue for Vodacom on the...
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