Nkosana Makate and his lawyers have agreed to ring-fence 40% of the payout he received from Vodacom earlier this month for the “please call me” (PCM) idea.
According to media reports, legal teams for Makate and Black Rock Mining (BRM) agreed on 40% of the payout — believed to be between R350-million and R700-million — while the matter is in court. BRM filed an urgent court application in the high court in Johannesburg last week.
It said it provided litigation funding to Makate under an agreement signed in 2011. The 40% is on the basis of a 15-year deal. Makate’s lawyers still claim that the original funding agreement had been cancelled, accusing BRM and its former directors of fraud.
Moneyweb reported on Tuesday that the agreement to retain the 40% does not prevent Makate from disbursing the remaining 60%. The 40% is to be held in the trust account of Stemela & Lubbe Inc, Makate’s attorneys, pending an urgent hearing on the merits of the case to be heard on 3 December 2025.
The agreement, permitting Makate to submit a supplementary affidavit, will be formalised as a court order on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, and simultaneously referred to arbitration, which is expected to take place next month.” Makate said in court papers that he only received R8 000 after an initial payment of R500 000 for litigation expenses in 2011.
Former BRM director Errol Elsdon has rejected Makate’s claim that little funding was received.
Read: Vodacom settles landmark ‘please call me’ case out of court
“Please call me” is a popular cellular service in South Africa that allows users with limited or no airtime to ask someone else with airtime to call them. — (c) 2025 NewsCentral Media
Get breaking news from TechCentral on WhatsApp. Sign up here.