Vodacom Faces Another Legal Blow in ‘Please Call Me’ Battle, SA Rooting for Makate: “Pay the Guy”

• Vodacom's bid to amend a 2020 court ruling in the "Please Call Me" inventor Nkosana Makate's favour was rejected by the Pretoria High Court
• The court determined that Vodacom's request for variation seemed aimed at obstructing the court's order and had no merit
• South Africans believe the legal battle has been dragging on for a long time and that Vodacom should pay Makate

PRETORIA - Vodacom faced another legal setback in its ongoing dispute with Nkosana Makate, the inventor of "Please Call Me," as the Pretoria high court rejected its request to amend a 2020 court ruling.

Court rejects Vodacom's bid

Vodacom sought to change the order requiring them to provide Makate with contracts, claiming they didn't possess all the contracts and wished to avoid contempt of court.

Read also

Mangosuthu Buthelezi: Eskom's decision to keep the lights on in Ulundi stuns the nation

Additionally, Vodacom applied for leave to appeal if the variation request was denied, but this too was dismissed, reported TimesLIVE.

Vodacom's court application dismissed with costs

Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba expressed that Vodacom's variation request appeared designed to hinder the court's order implementation.

He found no merit in the request and deemed it unnecessary. Furthermore, he believed there were no reasonable prospects for success in their conditional notice for an appeal.

Both of Vodacom's applications were rejected, and they were ordered to cover the legal costs, including those of two counsels.

Meanwhile, the main legal battle between the two parties awaits a judgment from the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein, where oral arguments were presented in May.

SA roots for Nkosana Makate

Read also

'Sizokthola' host Xolani Khumalo hits the streets calling on Mzansi to join hands and fight drugs

Read some of the social media comments from netizens below:

Phogole'a Phogole mentioned:

"I hate this long battle. Let them pay Makate once."

Leon Lvan Der Schyff wrote:

"Just pay the guy. He earned it."

N'wana Ka Ximbeyi Mahlale commented:

"They also eat our airtime without owing them mxm."

Ba Kang added:

"I love how he is not giving up R47 million is an insult to him. They could have offered R5 billion if they can’t give him R9 billion."

Mo Jacobs said:

"The money Vodacom used to fight this guy in court would've been enough to pay this guy what is due to him."

Ayovha Mphoza suggested:

"I think this issue of Nkosana Makete needs our intervention fighters. We must close down all their stores for two days at least."

Vodacom Argues CEO Had Right to Determine How Much Nkosana Makate Deserved for ‘Please Call Me’ Invention

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the protracted 'Please Call Me' case between the feature's inventor, Nkosana Makate, and telecommunications giant Vodacom headed to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Read also

Comedian Tumi Stopnonsons' assault case against ex postponed to October for further investigation

Vodacom told the Bloemfontein-based court that the telecommunications company's CEO, Shameel Joosub, had the right to solely determine how much Makate deserved for inventing the 'Please Call Me' feature.

Source: Briefly News