Nkosana Makate Biography, Wiki, Age, Net Worth, Wife, Kids, Family, Education, and more
Nkosana Makate is a South African finance executive who is best known for being the brains behind the Please Call Me concept at Vodacom, one of the leading telecommunication companies in Africa. He proposed the idea of sending a free message to other Vodacom users to request that they call you back, even if you do not have enough credit to make a call.
This simple but innovative idea revolutionized the way people communicate and has generated billions of rands in revenue for Vodacom since its launch in 2001. However, he never received any compensation for his invention and had to fight a long and hard legal battle against his former employer to claim his rightful share. In this article, we will explore the life and career of Nkosana Makate, his invention of the Please Call Me concept, his legal dispute with Vodacom, and his current status and net worth.
Nkosana Makate Wiki/Bio
| Name | Nkosana Makate |
| Born | 1977 (age 47 years) |
| Place of birth | Natalspruit Hospital, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Black African |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Marital status | Married |
| Spouse | Rebecca Makate |
| Children | Three |
| Education | Bachelor of Commerce, SAICA certification |
| Profession | Finance executive |
| Known for | Inventing the Please Call Me concept at Vodacom |
| Wikipedia | @makate_nkosana |
| @NkosanaMakate | |
| Homepage | Newsunzip |
Biography
Nkosana Makate was born in 1977 (Age: 46 years, as of 2023) at Natalspruit Hospital in Gauteng, South Africa. He was raised by his maternal grandparents in Katlehong, a township in the East Rand of Ekurhuleni. His mother was studying to become a teacher and his father was not involved in his life.
He attended Alapang High School and later transferred to a college in Springs where he completed his matric in 1994. He then enrolled for a Bachelor of Commerce degree at an unidentified institution and graduated with honors. He also obtained a SAICA certification and became a qualified chartered accountant.
Career and invention of Please Call Me
Nkosana Makate started his career in accounting at Vodacom in February 1995 as part of its trainee accounting program. He worked in the finance department as an accounting trainee and later as a finance manager. In 2000, he came up with the idea of the Please Call Me service while he was dating his future wife, Rebecca Makate, who was a medical student at the time.
He wanted to communicate with her without spending too much money on airtime, as they were both on tight budgets. He thought of a way to send her a free message asking her to call him back.
He shared his idea with his supervisor, Philip Geissler, who was the director of product development at Vodacom. Geissler liked the idea and promised Makate that he would get a share of the revenue generated by the service, which he estimated to be between 15% and 20%. He agreed to the verbal agreement and gave Geissler the technical details of how to implement the service.
Vodacom launched the Please Call Me service in 2001, which was a clone of a similar service that MTN, a rival telecom company, had introduced a year earlier. The service was an instant hit and attracted millions of users who found it convenient and cost-effective. It is estimated that Vodacom has earned over R200 billion from the Please Call Me service since its inception. However, Makate never received any payment or recognition for his invention.
❤️ ❤️❤️ https://t.co/y5byxLomQH
— Nkosana Makate (@makate_nkosana) January 30, 2024
He left Vodacom in 2004 and pursued other career opportunities in the finance sector. He worked as a deputy director of business governance at Nedbank, a director of finance control at the City of Johannesburg, and a director of finance at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
Legal battle with Vodacom
Nkosana Makate decided to sue Vodacom in 2008 for breaching the verbal agreement he had with Geissler and for exploiting his intellectual property. He claimed that he was entitled to a reasonable compensation for his invention, which he calculated to be around R10.5 billion, based on the revenue generated by the service. He also accused the former CEO of Vodacom, Alan Knott-Craig, of lying about being the originator of the Please Call Me idea in his autobiography. He said that Knott-Craig had stolen his idea and took credit for it.
The legal case dragged on for eight years and went through various courts and appeals. In 2014, the South Gauteng High Court ruled in favor of Makate and confirmed that he was the inventor of the Please Call Me concept. It also rejected Knott-Craig’s claim of being the creator of the service.
However, the court dismissed Nkosana Makate’s claim for compensation, saying that Geissler did not have the authority to promise him a share of the revenue and that the claim had expired after three years. Makate appealed the ruling and took the case to the Constitutional Court, the highest court in South Africa.
In April 2016, the Constitutional Court delivered a landmark judgment in favor of him and ordered Vodacom to pay him a reasonable compensation for his invention. The court said that Geissler had acted on behalf of Vodacom and had the apparent authority to make the verbal agreement with Makate. It also said that the claim had not expired and that Nkosana had a valid and enforceable claim against Vodacom.
The court instructed Vodacom and Makate to negotiate in good faith and reach an agreement on the amount of compensation within six months. If they failed to do so, the court said that the matter would be referred to the CEO of Vodacom, who would determine the amount.
Current status
Nkosana Makate and Vodacom have not been able to reach an agreement on the compensation amount since the Constitutional Court ruling. They have been involved in several disputes and negotiations over the past five years, with no resolution in sight. He has accused Vodacom of delaying the process and offering him a low and insulting amount.
He has also challenged the calculation method used by Vodacom to determine the revenue generated by the Please Call Me service. He has claimed that Vodacom has underreported the revenue and has not included the revenue from other sources, such as advertising and data. He has also alleged that Vodacom has breached the court order by not negotiating in good faith and by not referring the matter to the CEO.
Vodacom has denied Nkosana Makate’s allegations and has maintained that it has complied with the court order and has offered him a fair and reasonable amount. It has also argued that his claim is based on unrealistic and inflated assumptions and that he is not entitled to a percentage of the revenue, but only to a share of the profit. It has also said that the Please Call Me service was not a unique or novel idea, but a copy of an existing service by MTN. It has also said that Makate did not contribute to the technical development or implementation of the service, but only suggested the idea.
The latest development in the legal saga occurred in February 2024, when the Supreme Court of Appeal dismissed Vodacom’s appeal and upheld the Constitutional Court’s ruling. The court ordered Vodacom to pay Makate a compensation amount ranging from 5% to 10% of the total revenue generated by the Please Call Me service over the past 18 years. The court also ordered Vodacom to make the offer within one month and to pay him legal costs. This was a major victory for Nkosana, who had been fighting for his rights for over two decades.
Net Worth
Nkosana Makate’s current net worth is estimated to be around R1 million, according to some sources. However, this figure is expected to increase significantly if Vodacom pays him the compensation he deserves for his invention. He has said that he plans to use the money to support his family, his community, and various charitable causes. He has also said that he hopes that his case will inspire other inventors and innovators to protect their intellectual property and to fight for their rights.
Wife, Kids, Marriage
Nkosana Makate is married to Rebecca Makate, a pediatrician, and they have three children together. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. He is active on social media platforms, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, where he shares his views and updates on his case and other issues. He is also a motivational speaker and a mentor to young entrepreneurs and innovators. He is regarded as a hero and a role model by many South Africans, who admire his courage and perseverance.
Height, Weight
- Height: around 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
- Weight: around 75 kg (165 lbs)
- Eye color: dark brown
Nkosana Makate is a remarkable and inspiring figure who has shown the world the power of a simple idea and the importance of standing up for one’s rights. He is the inventor of the Please Call Me concept, which has transformed the way people communicate and has generated billions of rands in revenue for Vodacom.
