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Vodacom Reaches Confidential Settlement With 'Please Call Me' Inventor

The confidential deal ends a two-decade fight over compensation for Vodacom’s Please Call Me service.

Overview

  • Vodacom said its board approved the out-of-court settlement on 4 November 2025 in a Stock Exchange News Service notice.
  • Notices were filed to withdraw Vodacom’s appeal at the Supreme Court of Appeal and to abandon the 8 February 2022 High Court judgment, closing the litigation.
  • Financial terms were not disclosed, and Vodacom said the impact is reflected in interim results for the six months ended 30 September 2025.
  • The Constitutional Court in July set aside the SCA’s 2024 ruling and ordered a rehearing, a process now made unnecessary by the settlement.
  • The case arose from Kenneth Makate’s 2000–2001 Please Call Me idea, with previous proposals ranging from about R47 million to multi‑billion‑rand estimates.