The landmark legal victory of Kenneth Mkosana Makate, an ex-Vodacom employee who created “Please call me” facility, typifies the rare plot of a determined humble individual taking on a multinational company and emerging triumphant. Of course, such stories are not unusual in developed countries, but in South Africa, given the country’s history of apartheid, least when the subject is black, there is bound to be unprecedented attention. And understandably, Makate has become a reluctant celebrity.
For black South Africans, Makate is an inspiration. They are two things that black South Africans could learn:
1. Resilience
It has taken a good sixteen years for Makate to get justice.
Lesson: Success does not come overnight. Whatever you are pursuing (business or professional goals), you have to endure hardships, but keep focused.
2. Innovation
Makate did not revel in just working for a big corporation. Firmly believing he was beyond that, he wanted to create a legacy, and surely he has done. Isn’t that amazing? He didn’t even have a privileged background.
Lesson: It’s a call for fellow black South Africans, indeed South Africans of all races, to aim for higher standards of excellence and achievement.
