Nkosana Makate has dismissed Vodacom’s assertion that it faces difficulties in determining the revenue that the Please Call Me idea has generated since its inception in 2001. According to a report in The Citizen, Makate, the inventor of Please Call Me, argued in court papers filed at the Constitutional Court this week that Vodacom has substantial financial records required to determine how much it owes him for the idea.

A fresh battle is heading to the Constitutional Court again – with Makate seeking clarity on last year’s groundbreaking order that compelled Vodacom to enter into good faith compensation negotiations with him. Negotiations have now deadlocked as Makate accused Vodacom of trying to renege on its obligation to pay him for Please Call Me, which allows a cell phone user without airtime to send a free message requesting to be called back.

Makate said it’s necessary for the court to clarify its own order for successful compensation negotiations. He added that other compensation methodologies proposed by Vodacom 'will lead only to a waste of time, energy and money – all to my detriment'.

Full report in The Citizen