Vodacom South Africa announced on Tuesday that the Constitutional Court will hear its application for leave to appeal in the protracted Please Call Me case. This legal battle, which has been ongoing for 16 years, involves a dispute with former employee Nkosana Makate, who is seeking a substantial payout.
According to Vodacom, the Constitutional Court has issued a directive to consider its application for leave to appeal alongside the company’s appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruling. This latest development comes after Vodacom’s February filing for leave to appeal the SCA’s decision, which required the company to make a new offer to Makate.
Vodacom contends that the SCA’s judgment and order are “fundamentally flawed.” The SCA’s decision includes two potential increases to Makate’s compensation. Under the minority judgment, Makate’s payout could be raised to approximately R186 million, while the majority judgment would entitle him to a minimum of R29 billion.