South Africans are Joining #BoycottVodacom in Support of Tech Inventor
Numerous South Africans are showing their support for a former employee of the telecommunications giant by boycotting its services.
Vodacom, is one of the biggest telecommunications companies in South Africa. For years it has been embroiled in a legal battle with one of its former employees Nkosana Makate who is said to have invented a text messaging service almost 20 years ago that the company has since refused to compensate him for.
According to EWN, Makate is said to have invented the popular 'please call me' text messaging service which allows mobile users to send a request to their contacts to call them without needing to have any money on their cell phones. At first, Vodacom claimed that Makate did not in fact come up with the innovation, a claim which was thrown out by the Constitutional Court after they ordered Vodacom to give Makate reasonable compensation.
Vodacom recently offered Makate R49 million (approximately USD 3.6 million) which Makate refused. He is now demanding R70 billion (approximately USD 5.2 billion), an amount which has left South Africans divided with some feeling it is an outrageous demand whilst others feel it is deserved.
Lobby groups such as the Black First Land First and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party along with other politicians, have urged Vodacom to pay Makate his dues and 'do the right thing.'
South Africans have taken to social media to show how they are part of the campaign #BoycottVodacom by switching to other mobile network providers.