South Africa’s Top Court Sends Vodacom ‘Please Call Me’ Payout Fight Back to SCA

South Africa’s Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld Vodacom Group Ltd.’s appeal in the protracted “Please Call Me” dispute, overturning a 2022 Supreme Court of Appeal ruling that had ordered the mobile operator to pay former employee Nkosana Makate billions of rand for the idea he proposed in 2000. In a judgment delivered by Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, the Constitutional Court found flaws in how the compensation was calculated and instructed that the matter be reheard by a differently constituted bench of the Supreme Court of Appeal. The decision prolongs an 18-year legal battle and leaves unresolved the amount Makate is entitled to receive for the free call-back service that became a popular feature on Vodacom’s network. Makate is seeking far higher compensation than the ZAR 47 million previously offered by Vodacom, while the company argues that his claim—reported to run into several billion rand—is excessive. The fresh SCA hearing will reassess both the methodology and quantum of any payout, keeping one of South Africa’s most closely watched intellectual-property cases alive.