The two-decade-long Please Call Me battle between Vodacom and inventor Kenneth Makate has officially come to an end – with Makate reportedly set to earn up to R750 million as part of an out-of-court settlement.
Vodacom confirmed in a late-night announcement on Wednesday, 5 November, that it had reached a settlement agreement with Makate, ending one of South Africa’s most high-profile and protracted corporate legal disputes.
“The parties are glad that finality has been reached in this regard,” Vodacom said in its statement.
As part of the settlement process, the telecommunications giant withdrew its appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) and abandoned the 8 February 2022 High Court judgment, signalling the closure of all pending litigation.
A 20-year legal saga
Makate’s legal battle with Vodacom dates back to the early 2000s.
He claimed to have conceived the idea for a free “missed call” service that would allow users to send a “call me” message without using airtime – an idea that would later evolve into Vodacom’s hugely successful Please Call Me service.
Makate said he presented the idea to his then-superior in 2001 and was promised compensation if it was implemented.
When no payment followed, he launched a lawsuit in 2008, demanding fair remuneration.
After years of courtroom battles, the Constitutional Court ruled in Makate’s favour, ordering Vodacom to compensate him fairly for the concept.
Vodacom initially offered R47 million, which Makate rejected, maintaining that he was entitled to a far greater amount – close to R10 billion.
Subsequent appeals and rulings by the High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal, and Constitutional Court prolonged the dispute for several more years.
This week’s settlement brings that lengthy process to a close.
How much is Kenneth Makate getting?
While Vodacom did not disclose the exact settlement figure, clues from the company’s revised trading statement suggest the payment could be between R353 million and R748 million – placing the likely payout close to R750 million.
Vodacom’s earlier trading update projected that earnings per share (EPS) would rise by 40% to 45% (to between 494 and 512 cents).
The updated statement, issued after the settlement, now forecasts a lower EPS increase of 30% to 40% (to between 460 and 496 cents).
Given Vodacom’s 2.08 billion issued shares, the shift in EPS translates to a one-off financial impact estimated between R353 million and R748 million.
| Metric | Previous forecast | Revised forecast | Change | Estimated impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS (low end) | 496c | 460c | 36c | R748 million |
| EPS (high end) | 513c | 496c | 17c | R353 million |
Vodacom said the settlement will be reflected as a “one-off cost impacting FY1H26” in its upcoming interim financial results, due to be released on Monday, 10 November 2025.
End of an era
The conclusion of the Please Call Me saga brings closure to a case that has dominated South African legal and business circles for over 20 years.
Makate, who has long maintained that his innovation changed the way mobile users communicate, can now claim victory in a battle that reshaped local intellectual property debates and set a new precedent for corporate accountability in South Africa.
