Please Call Me Inventor Marks 24th Anniversary with Court Battle
Nkosana Makate, the inventor of "Please Call Me," will mark the 24th anniversary of submitting his proposal to Vodacom while fighting in the Constitutional Court for what he believes is fair compensation, reports TimesLIVE. The court has set November 21 as the date for Vodacom's appeal against the Supreme Court of Appeal's (SCA) ruling, which favored Makate after he rejected a R47 million compensation offer from Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub. Coincidentally, November 21 will be exactly 24 years since Makate submitted the idea that led to the successful "Please Call Me" concept. Makate was thrilled that the highest court had set a date. The SCA ruling had overturned Vodacom's R47 million offer and ordered the company to compensate Makate between 5% and 7.5% of the total voice revenue generated by the service over 18 years, starting in March 2001, plus interest. In February, Vodacom approached the Constitutional Court seeking to overturn the SCA's decision, arguing that it could result in a payout of up to R63 billion - a figure Makate disputes, estimating his compensation at around R9.6 billion based on the SCA ruling.
Disgraced Midwife's Trial Set for May 2025
The case against former midwife Yolande Maritz has been transferred to the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, reports IOL. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 12, 2025. Maritz, a deregistered and disgraced nurse, allegedly administered medication to pregnant women, which is suspected of causing deaths and birth complications. She was stripped of her midwife registration in 2021 after the South African Nursing Council found her guilty of negligent and unprofessional conduct. Two mothers, Carien Möller and Alysia von Kloëg, filed criminal complaints in 2020 and 2022, respectively, claiming Maritz's negligence led to Von Kloëg's son dying nine days after birth and left Möller's daughter with cerebral palsy. Allegations suggest that over four years, Maritz's actions resulted in the deaths of five babies, while several others were left severely disabled.
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74-Year-Old Woman Stabbed to Death by Boyfriend
A 74-year-old woman was found stabbed to death, allegedly by her boyfriend, in a housing complex in Cornubia City, KwaZulu-Natal, reports IOL. Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) was alerted by a resident around 5 p.m., who reported the discovery during a wellness check. Paramedics found the woman on a bed in the lower level of the home, topless and with multiple stab wounds to her face and head. A blood-stained blue t-shirt was found on the sofa next to the bed, RUSA said. Neighbors reported hearing the couple arguing earlier and suspect that the argument turned violent. The boyfriend fled the scene following the discovery.
