Vodacom is facing the escalating wrath of customers and citizens over its long battle with former employee Nkosana Makate, who invented the Please Call Me service. The Star reports Vodacom has been warned that it has until 10am today to pay Makate or face citizens who are mobilising for a total shutdown of services at Vodacom stores.

The #PleaseCallMe movement has urged all South Africans to unite in support of Makate, who has been battling to get Vodacom to pay him for his invention since 2007.

Movement convener Modise Setoaba said: ‘If they do not pay, we will demonstrate there (VodaWorld and Vodacom stores) and shut down Vodacom until that (payment) happens. We will never allow Vodacom to ever operate until they pay Makate,’ Setoaba stressed.

He said Vodacom had sent a notice to their staff (at VodaWorld in Midrand and Johannesburg), saying they will not open today, and told staff to work from home.

‘What they do not know is that what we are doing is not a once-off thing.’

Setoaba encouraged citizens to occupy Vodacom outlets across the country and the network’s subscribers to port their cellphone numbers to other providers.

Full report in The Star

Meanwhile, lawyers for Vodacom have served Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi with a cease-and-desist document, warning him to stop commenting on its ongoing battle with Makate. According to a TimesLIVE report, Lesufi yesterday posted parts of an e-mail he had received from the mobile network provider on his Twitter timeline. Part of the document called for Lesufi to ‘desist from making false and defamatory comments of and concerning our client in relation to its litigation with Makate in general and in particular that our client is in wilful breach of the Constitutional Court order or that it is acting in an unfair and morally repugnant manner towards Makate.’

Lesufi was also ordered to stop calling for ‘inciting the invasion and occupation of the Vodaworld store or any of our clients premises’.

He was given until midday yesterday to give a written undertaking to do this.

Lesufi, meanwhile, appeared unfazed by the threat of legal action, tweeting, 'Bring it on @Vodacom! I am NOT easily intimidated. You can't bully me or silence my support to the weak and vulnerable. This is a democratic country and I have the right to express my views without fear.'

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela also weighed in the matter yesterday, calling on Vodacom to do the right thing, another TimesLIVE report says.

First TimesLIVE report

Second TimesLIVE report