
Vodacom gets reprieve: ConCourt puts brakes on Makate's mega payout!
Judgment in the long-running Please Call Me case between inventor Nkosana Makate and Vodacom has been delivered.
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The Constitutional Court heard Vodacom's appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) decision, which overturned its initial R47 million compensation offer to Makate.
CONCOURT DELIVERS RULING ON PLEASE CALL ME MATTER
In its ruling, the Constitutional Court found that the SCA had not properly dealt with the issues before it. As a result, the matter has been remitted to the SCA for a fresh determination of the appeal this time before a differently constituted panel of judges.
The court was tasked with assessing whether the SCA had disregarded the core legal questions, resulting in a failure of justice and a breach of the rule of law and Makate's constitutional right to a fair hearing.
Makate had previously rejected Vodacom's R47 million offer and is seeking R9.4 billion in compensation. It took the Constitutional Court eight months to finalise its judgment.
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