(Adds judgement, details)
JOHANNESBURG, April 26 (Reuters) - South Africa's top courton Tuesday ordered mobile operator Vodacom tocompensate a former employee who invented a free messagingsystem used by the company, after an eight-year legal battle.
The ruling by the the Constitutional court gave SouthAfrica's largest mobile firm Vodacom 30 days to beginnegotiations to set a "reasonable compensation" to be paid toNkosana Makate.
According to the judgment, Makate consulted Philip Geisslerthe company's then-director of product development andmanagement, about his idea of developing the "Please Call Me"service. Geissler then agreed orally to put the product on trialfor commercial viability, the court papers showed.
Makate was then told by the company that he would be paid ashare in the revenue generated by his product, but this did nottake place, according to the judgement.
Failing to negotiate compensation for four years after theproduct was launched, Makate sued the mobile operator.
"Its just a relief for me you know, eight years in trial.I'm just happy we are now at the end of this journey," Makatesaid in an interview with state-owned broadcaster SABC.
"I never really lost faith that I'll win this case, I thinkthat really kept me going even in times when I lost hope or felta bit despondent."
Vodacom's spokesman Byron Kennedy said the firm was studyingthe court's ruling. (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by James Macharia)