Vodacom, Makate 'Please Call Me' matter and the complexity

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Published Nov 8, 2025

It's the story of a small idea that rang louder than anyone could have imagined.

After a 17-year legal battle, Vodacom has finally reached an out-of-court settlement with Nkosana Makate the former employee who created the now-iconic "Please Call Me" service back in 2001.

What began as a simple concept letting prepaid users send a free call-back message became a communication lifeline across South Africa and beyond, generating billions for the telecoms giant. But for Makate, the fight was about more than money.

It was about recognition and the right of an innovator to own his idea.

Vodacom once offered him R47 million. He refused. Seventeen years later, the company has now agreed to a confidential, out of court settlement, believed to be worth hundreds of millions.

This case has become a David versus Goliath moment, a reminder that intellectual property is not just legal jargon, but the lifeblood of innovation. For startups, creatives, and young entrepreneurs, it proves that courage and persistence can, eventually, call justice home.

And to discuss this remarkable story, we are joined via Teams by legal analyst Bophelo Seleke, to unpack what this means for intellectual property and labour law in South Africa
and Tshepo Matseba, brand and reputation strategist, to explore how this case reshapes the image of corporate accountability and trust in the digital economy.

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