Vodacom ordered to pay man who made ‘please call me’ service

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa's top court on Tuesday ordered mobile operator Vodacom to compensate a former employee who invented a free messaging system used by the company, after an eight-year legal battle.

The ruling by the the Constitutional court gave South Africa's largest mobile firm Vodacom 30 days to begin negotiations to set a "reasonable compensation" to be paid to Nkosana Makate.

According to the judgment, Makate consulted Philip Geissler the company's then-director of product development and management, about his idea of developing the "Please Call Me" service. Geissler then agreed orally to put the product on trial for commercial viability, the court papers showed.

Makate was then told by the company that he would be paid a share in the revenue generated by his product, but this did not take place, according to the judgement.

Failing to negotiate compensation for four years after the product was launched, Makate sued the mobile operator.

"Its just a relief for me you know, eight years in trial. I'm just happy we are now at the end of this journey," Makate said in an interview with state-owned broadcaster SABC.

"I never really lost faith that I'll win this case, I think that really kept me going even in times when I lost hope or felt a bit despondent."

Vodacom's spokesman Byron Kennedy said the firm was studying the court's ruling.