Ft Hare love story inspired ‘please call me’ inventor

It's said that love makes you do crazy things, and for Nkosana Makate that crazy thing could see him and love of his life become billionaires.

Makate aka “Mr Please Call Me”, invented the revenue generating cellphone messaging app, Please Call Me, because he and his then girlfriend, now wife, Rebecca battled to stay in contact.

She was a student at Fort Hare University and Makate, who was based in Sandton, was only able to see her during university vacations.

As a student Rebecca often did not have enough money to phone him so Makate sought a solution.

What came about was a bridge to close the long-distance gap.

The idea, he believes, not only saved his relationship, but thousands of others.

“Without enough money for airtime, a cellphone is useless. This invention ensures that irrespective of whether people have money or not, they can remain in contact.

“I’m 100% sure Please Call Me has kept lots of husbands and wives and boyfriends and girlfriends together.”

Rebecca said she was happy to have inspired her husband.

“It’s such a good feeling to be part of the history of what happened.”

Makate shot to fame on Tuesday when the Constitutional Court ruled against Vodacom for having stolen his invention as their own and ordered the cellphone giant to compensate him for his loss.

The compensation is set to run into billions of rands.

Rebecca said the court ruling was “life-changing”.

“This is just proof that one can achieve anything if they believe in it. We always think that a small person against a big company is impossible, but this shows that anything is possible.”

Now working at the SA Local Government Association as head of finance, Makate wants to use some of the compensation he receives to give back to society.

“I am interested in litigation finance and in setting up something where ideas around innovation can be incubated, grown and developed.”

For now though a large part of his time is focused on a tell-all book which is set to be published in December.

“It is the story of the last 16 years of my life – all of the trials and tribulations and now the victory.”

Does he still use his invention?

“My wife works so we don’t have a need for it, although occasionally my brother or a friend will send me one.”