Vodacom has been asked to withhold a full payment to the employee credited with inventing the operator\u2019s Please Call Me service.<\/p>\n
According to a report by the Mail & Guardian<\/strong><\/a>, a dispute between the service\u2019s \u201cinventor\u201d Kenneth Makate and the company which assisted in financially backing his 8-year legal battle against Vodacom \u2013 Sterling Rand \u2013 is the reason for the request.<\/p>\n Sterling Rand asked Vodacom to \u201cwithhold at least 50% of any settlement\u201d, as it is concerned that Makate and his lawyers,\u00a0Stemela & Lubbe, will agree to a deal that excludes Sterling Rand.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can confirm we have received this request,\u201d said Vodacom in the report.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, our focus is on compliance with the order of the Constitutional Court which requires us to negotiate in good faith with Mr Makate.\u201d<\/p>\n It is estimated that\u00a0Makate may be entitled to<\/strong><\/a> around R10.5 billion following the court ruling, with\u00a0Sterling Rand due half the amount for taking on the funding risk, stated the\u00a0Mail & Guardian.<\/p>\n If Vodacom does not agree to the request, a court application will be filed by Sterling Rand.<\/p>\n MyBroadband<\/a><\/p>\n How much money \u2018Please Call Me\u2019 inventor wants from Vodacom<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Vodacom reports profit and customer growth<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\nMore on Vodacom<\/h3>\n