South African High Court: Western Cape Department Liable for Road Accident, Orders Punitiv

The Please Call Me saga spanned several courts in South Africa and at least one in London, with accusations flying between early funders of Nkosana Makate's invention.

At the heart of these disputes is a 2011 agreement which Chris Schoeman signed on behalf of a company he would nominate to fund Makate's fight against Vodacom. Various courts have since accepted as fact that Black Rock Mining was nominated in 2013, with allegations of a conspiracy by Errol Elsdon and Wilma Lubbe attempting to oust Schoeman from a share of the 40% that Makate's funding team were set to get.

The case highlights the complexities of litigation financing and the potential for conflicts of interest between funders. Practitioners should be aware of the risks involved in such arrangements and the need for transparency and clear agreements to avoid disputes like this one.