#Pleasecallme movement outside Vodaworld demands Makate be paid
According to a report of the inventor’s affidavit, Vodacom is estimated to have made 'tens of billions' from the call-back concept.
A banner claiming Vodacom owes Makate R70 billion. Image: NelsonZoboloT/Twitter
A group named the #Pleasecallme movement has closed off roads near the Vodaworld building in Midrand demanding that Please Call Me inventor Nkosana Makate be paid by Vodacom.
The movement has blocked access to Vodacom on 14th Road during their protest.
The group has been sharing their march’s message on social media, rallying support for Makate.
In a video, Karabo Malebo says she joined the movement to fight for discipline and the end of corruption.
7 December 2018 Friday. We shutting down vodacom, midrand from 8am for #paymakate for his #pleasecallme invention. Justice must prevail. Come join us pic.twitter.com/opMZnnOdEM
— #Pleasecallme Movement🇿🇦 (@modise_setoaba) December 6, 2018
7 December 2018 Friday, #pleasecallme is shutting down vodaworld, midrand. Vodacom must #paymakate pic.twitter.com/NUzXjfkDdk
— #Pleasecallme Movement🇿🇦 (@modise_setoaba) December 6, 2018
It appears the Please Call Me inventor is yet to be paid by Vodacom after the Constitutional Court ruled in his favour.
Earlier this year, the inventor was offered a R10 million settlement offer. He responded to the offer by calling it crazy.
Speaking on radio station Metro FM earlier this year, he said the estimated settlement is in the tens of billions, as Vodacom profited from the product and rolled it out to other countries.
Makate has since remained silent from the public eye after an alleged agreement between him and Vodacom to not discuss the matter publicly.
He has made it clear that he hoped for an amicable conclusion to the decade-long battle.
The R10 million offer is said to be less than Makate’s legal fees, and the inventor said Vodacom claimed an inability to calculate the revenue.
It was more than 17 years ago when the Please Call Me was implemented. Makate said he wanted to communicate with his wife, which resulted in the idea for the invention.
The then trainee accountant said he wanted to be able to send a message that cost him nothing to ask the recipient to call him back.
“The calculation is very easy, we’ve deployed experts for about 10 days to Vodacom, and we were able to do calculations, and we also did calculations from publicly available information that are part of our submission before Shameel [Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub],” he told the radio station.
Vodacom is still apparently in talks with Makate.
7 December 2018 shutdown vodacom, midrand from 8am pic.twitter.com/G1A5oW1G5V
— #Pleasecallme Movement🇿🇦 (@modise_setoaba) December 5, 2018
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