Vodacom and Nkosana Makate Alleged Settlement Amount Revealed

GAUTENG— Errol Elsdon announced he is suing Nkosana Kenneth Makate for defamation following a legal fallout over the confidential Vodacom "Please Call Me" settlement. The lawsuit arose after Makate accused his former financial backer of fraud and threatened him with private criminal prosecution.

According to My Broadband, Elsdon claimed Vodacom paid Makate close to R1 billion in November 2025 to end the 17-year litigation. This figure contradicts calculations from Johannesburg Stock Exchange disclosures, which estimated the payout between R353 million and R748 million. Elsdon asserts that his company, Black Rock Mining, is entitled to a 40% share under a 2011 litigation funding agreement, valuing their claim at R400 million.

Errol Elsdon details funding dispute

The 2025 settlement concluded a long legal battle that began when Makate sent a letter of demand in 2007. Makate conceived the idea in 2000, which Vodacom developed into the service. Although the Constitutional Court ordered good faith negotiations in 2016, Makate rejected a R47 million offer from Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub, sparking further rounds of litigation in the courts.

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Both Vodacom and Makate declined to comment on the R1 billion figure, citing their strict non-disclosure agreements. Vodacom absorbed the settlement costs into its general expenditure to maintain confidentiality.

Gauteng Court dismisses Black Rock claim

Meanwhile, Briefly News reported that Black Rock Mining's claim to Makate's payout was dismissed in December 2025. The company headed to court to launch a battle to lay claim to Makate's payout after a court battle with Vodacom that lasted for over a decade.

Source: Briefly News