'Call me' idea man Kenneth Nkosana Makate will become a billionaire within a month after winning his case against Vodacom.
After 16 years of litigation, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) dismissed Vodacom's appeal and ruled in favor of Kenneth Makate.
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Makate has been demanding revenue from his ideas for years. Vodacom initially offered compensation of R47 million, which was too little for Makate.
The SCA ruled that Vodacom must pay Makate between 5% and 7.5% of the gross voice revenue generated by the Please Call Me product over 18 years, plus interest.
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The period is 18 years from March 2001 to January 9, 2019. There is no doubt that this compensation will hurt Vodacom. However, Mr Makate's legal team reportedly used this model to calculate the equivalent of a R20 billion remuneration based on a 5% share of the estimated R205 billion in revenue over 18 years.
The Supreme Court ordered Vodacom to use Makate's team calculation model. Makate's high salary will see him take home more than R20 billion.
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Communication company response
In response to this news, Vodacom acknowledged the judgment and is said to be reviewing its contents. “We acknowledge the recent 66-page judgment handed down by the Supreme Court of Appeal on the Please Call Me issue,” Vodacom said.
Vodacom added: “We are considering the content carefully and will respond in due course.”
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