Call for boycott over ‘Please Call Me’ battle

The “Please Call Me movement” and the ANC’s Liliesleaf Farm branch have called on South Africans to cancel their Vodacom contracts and boycott sporting events sponsored by the company.

Activists who are demanding that “Please Call Me” inventor Nkosana Makate be paid for developing the product in November 2000 unveiled their plan of action against Vodacom on Wednesday.

The move comes after the network operator said it had reached a settlement agreement with Makate and would pay “reasonable” compensation to him for his idea. Makate denied this, rejecting the offer as “ridiculous and insulting”.

ANC Gauteng deputy chair Panyaza Lesufi‚ saying he was speaking in his personal capacity‚ called for the boycott if the standoff was not resolved and Makate was not appropriately compensated by Friday.

“We are calling on our people to immediately terminate their contracts with Vodacom so that Vodacom can understand that they have angered society‚” he said.

Lawyers for Vodacom have served Lesufi with a cease-anddesist document‚ warning him to stop commenting on its ongoing standoff with Makate over his invention.

Lesufi‚ who is also MEC for basic education in Gauteng‚ said that activists‚ including himself‚ were willing to lobby the government and government institutions to cancel contracts associated with Vodacom.

The planned rolling mass action was also aimed at isolating Vodacom internationally, he said.

“We are starting discussions with international organisations‚ that we know are procustomers‚ to assist us to isolate Vodacom and its brand internationally.

“We are going to formally register our displeasure and dissatisfaction on how Vodacom is handling this matter.

“We believe this matter deserves their attention and we ask for their support‚” he said.

Lesufi also called on all Vodacom customers “to request an airtime and data advance and refuse to pay so that Vodacom can taste its own medicine”.