Court battle over Vodacom 'Please Call Me' payout takes another twist

Stephen Grootes interviews to Jan Vermeulen, Editor at MyBroadband, about the urgent court bid by UK investor Errol Elsdon, who claims Black Rock Mining is entitled to 40% of Nkosana Makate’s Vodacom settlement.

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

Nkosana Makate, the inventor of Vodacom's infamous 'Please Call Me' platform should soon be getting his payout from the telecoms giant following the conclusion of the matter earlier this month.

The 'Please Call Me' invention was the subject of nearly two decades of legal dispute, culminating in a Vodacom settlement, estimated at over R600 million. The exact amount of the settlement has however not been made public.

But in a bizarre twist, UK investor Errol Elsdon, claims Black Rock Mining is entitled to 40% of Nkosana Makate’s Vodacom settlement, having initially funded Makate's action..

Black Rock Mining argues a 2011 funding agreement still stands despite Makate’s claim that the agreement was terminated in 2015.

Elsdon is now taking Makate to court to fight for 40% of his Vodacom payout.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Jan Vermeulen, Editor at MyBroadband says this development was however predictable.

"We knew that this dispute existed since 2016, and when the settlement was reached and the amount being calculated started coming out, we knew that these guys would come out of the woodwork," says Vermeulen.

"Makate's team have agreed that they would hold 40% of his settlement in his lawyers trust account, then the full interdict would be heard some time in the first week of December," adds Vermeulen.

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.