Vodacom’s teleconference on Friday, where execs fielded questions on the Please Call Me saga, should be required listening in every boardroom. It highlights a de facto shift in power, exposing how centuries old corporate structures are no longer fit for purpose.
This classic David and Goliath saga has dragged on for almost two decades. There is still some way to go. Aggrieved former employee Kenneth Makate has rejected an apparent R49m settlement offer. He wants R70bn. So it’s back to court for a determination of the quantum, and perhaps another appeal.
Makate’s determination has delivered more than the promise of a fat cheque. It should focus society’s attention on a much bigger issue: the way hierarchy perverts otherwise honest souls. People are not evil. But classical corporate structures encourage salary earners to act in ways they would never countenance in their private lives.
Vodacom founding CEO Alan Knott-Craig is not the first boss to have claimed credit for an underling’s idea. But until corporate structures are revolutionised, he won’t be the last.
