Post by @ChrisExcel102
5% credible (6% factual, 3% presentation). The post's claim of a R100 million settlement for Kenneth Makate with Vodacom, reduced to R18 million after deductions, is unsubstantiated and contradicts official reports stating the settlement is confidential with estimates around R550 million. The presentation suffers from bare assertion and omission framing, presenting exaggerated figures without evidence and omitting the confidential nature of the settlement.
Analysis Summary
The post speculates on the breakdown of Kenneth Makate's settlement with Vodacom, claiming a R100 million total with deductions leaving him R18 million. This claim appears unsubstantiated, as official reports confirm the settlement is confidential with estimates around R550 million. Recent news highlights the end of the 17-year dispute without disclosing exact figures.
Original Content
The Facts
The post presents unverified and likely exaggerated figures for the settlement, contrasting with credible news sources that describe the amount as undisclosed and potentially much higher; social media context suggests this is humorous speculation rather than fact. Mostly False
Benefit of the Doubt
The author advances a sympathetic yet comedic perspective on Makate's win, portraying him as the 'brother' shortchanged by lawyers and taxes to highlight systemic burdens on South Africans. It emphasizes dramatic deductions to evoke empathy and amusement, while omitting the confidential nature of the settlement and higher estimated values from Bloomberg and other reports, shaping perception as a tale of injustice rather than triumph. This selective framing aligns with the author's pattern of engaging in pop culture commentary with a bias toward supporting local figures.
Visual Content Analysis
Images included in the original content
VISUAL DESCRIPTION
A split-image composite: on the left, a close-up portrait of a middle-aged Black man with short hair, wearing a dark suit and light blue shirt, smiling slightly against a gray background; on the right, the red Vodacom logo featuring a white checkmark-like symbol and the word 'VODACOM' in white text.
TEXT IN IMAGE
VODACOM
MANIPULATION
No signs of editing, inconsistencies, or artifacts; appears to be a standard collage of stock photos without alterations.
TEMPORAL ACCURACY
The image uses what appear to be timeless promotional or news photos without date stamps, clothing, or contextual clues indicating a specific time period.
LOCATION ACCURACY
The elements align with the South African context of the Vodacom-Makate dispute, with the man's portrait likely depicting Makate in a professional setting and the logo representing the company involved.
FACT-CHECK
The portrait matches known images of Kenneth Makate from news coverage of the case, and the Vodacom logo is authentic; the image supports the post's topic but does not verify the financial claims.
How Is This Framed?
Biases, omissions, and misleading presentation techniques detected
Presents a low settlement amount (R100 million) compared to reported estimates (around R550 million), exaggerating the impact of deductions to downplay the victory.
Problematic phrases:
"R100 million settlement""He’s left with R18 Million"What's actually there:
confidential settlement estimated at R550 million per Bloomberg and news reports
What's implied:
R100 million total with R18 million net
Impact: Leads readers to underestimate the scale of Makate's achievement and overestimate burdens from lawyers/taxes, fostering a narrative of minimal gain.
Omits the confidential nature of the settlement and higher estimated values from credible sources, presenting speculation as factual breakdown.
Problematic phrases:
"agreed on a R100 million settlement"What's actually there:
Settlement terms undisclosed; recent news (e.g., end of 17-year dispute) confirms no public figures released
What's implied:
specific, public R100 million agreement
Impact: Misleads readers into accepting unverified numbers as truth, altering perception from potential major triumph to a tale of injustice without counter-evidence.
Fails to mention official reports describing the amount as undisclosed and potentially much higher, ignoring evidence that contradicts the low figures.
Problematic phrases:
"Lawyers took R60 million""SARS took R18 million"What's actually there:
No public deduction details; taxes and fees not specified in reports
What's implied:
Exact 60% to lawyers and 18% to SARS
Impact: Prevents readers from considering alternative perspectives, reinforcing a biased view of systemic exploitation without balanced information.
Sources & References
External sources consulted for this analysis
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/vodacom-in-please-call-me-out-of-court-settlement-with-makate/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/telecommunications/842147/this-is-how-much-vodacom-will-pay-makate/
https://nowinsa.co.za/2025/the-deal-is-done-inside-vodacoms-secret-settlement-with-please-call-me-creator/
https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/vodacoms-revised-earnings-estimates-reveal-potential-makate-payout.1326906/
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/two-law-firms-get-lions-share-of-rafs-r103m-legal-services-spend/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/840856/sars-nails-one-taxpayer-for-r46-million/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/842025/sars-nails-one-taxpayer-for-r155-million/
https://www.tekedia.com/vodacom-settles-17-year-please-call-me-dispute-with-former-employee-out-of-court/
https://startupmag.co.za/2025/11/vodacom-ends-two-decade-battle-with-nkosana-makate-in-confidential-please-call-me-settlement/
https://nowinsa.co.za/2025/the-deal-is-done-inside-vodacoms-secret-settlement-with-please-call-me-creator/
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/vodacom-in-please-call-me-out-of-court-settlement-with-makate/
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-08-26-inside-the-acrimonious-vodacom-please-call-me-settlement-talks/
https://allafrica.com/stories/202511060357.html
https://businesstech.co.za/news/telecommunications/842147/this-is-how-much-vodacom-will-pay-makate
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1950886440155381975
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1758054092222476452
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1769975661127504316
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1446822697846116354
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1754902809160409119
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1768351489620349131
https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/companies-and-deals/vodacom-in-please-call-me-out-of-court-settlement-with-makate/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/telecommunications/842147/this-is-how-much-vodacom-will-pay-makate/
https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/842104/vodacom-vs-makate-please-call-me-battle-is-over/
https://www.bona.co.za/news/vodacom-and-makate-reach-agreement-on-please-call-me-dispute/
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/vodacom-settles-with-please-call-me-inventor-kenneth-makate-breakng-news/
https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/vodacoms-revised-earnings-estimates-reveal-potential-makate-payout.1326906/
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/business-telecoms/617181-here-is-how-much-vodacom-likely-paid-please-call-mes-kenneth-makate.html
https://novanews.co.za/vodacom-settles-please-call-me-dispute-with-kenneth-makate-in-multi-million-rand-deal/
https://fullview.co.za/vodacom-ex-employee-makate-settlement-seen-costing-around-r550m/
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2025-11-07-nkosana-makates-please-call-me-payout-could-be-as-high-as-r748m/
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2025-11-07-please-call-me-settlement-cuts-vodacoms-interim-earnings/
https://www.capetownetc.com/news/vodacom-makate-finally-settle-please-call-me-dispute/
https://trtworld.com/article/818e1c1cdf4b
https://businesstech.co.za/news/telecommunications/842147/this-is-how-much-vodacom-will-pay-makate/
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1446822697846116354
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1767988977791811983
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1754902809160409119
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1609172133552455681
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1471820632274915330
https://x.com/ChrisExcel102/status/1950886440155381975
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