MEC calls on Vodacom to pay inventor
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi has entered the dispute between Vodacom and 'Please Call Me' inventor Nkosana Makate, calling on the cellphone giant to pay up by the end of January. In a tweet, Lesufi says Vodacom will face the 'wrath of the nation' if it did not pay up, according to a TimesLIVE report.
'We are the economy and we can shut it down,' Lesufi said on his Twitter timeline.
Lesufi's tweet comes after Vodacom announced this month that it had reached a settlement agreement with Makate and would pay 'reasonable' compensation to him for his call-back service idea. However, Makate rejected Vodacom's announcement.
'The offer that they claim to be making me is ridiculous and insulting and we are not accepting it,' he said at the time. A source close to Makate said Makate was taking legal advice on the matter.
'Mr Makate outright rejected the R49m offer that Vodacom has made.'
The 'Please Call Me' inventor started court proceedings against Vodacom for credit and financial compensation for the service that allows customers with a zero balance on their mobile phones to contact someone free with the SMS message, 'Please Call Me'.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
