Johannesburg - His name is George Prokas and he’s the businessman cellphone network provider Cell C has hauled to court for “the most useless service provider in SA – Cell C Sandton City” banner.
Hung on the perimeter wall of the World-Wear Mall along busy Beyers Naudé Drive, the banner, believed to have cost about R30 000, shows the Cell C logo and colours, and has the cellphone numbers of the Sandton City franchise manager.
In a bid to have the banner taken down, Cell C will on Wednesday battle it out with Prokas in the High Court in Joburg after launching an urgent court application against him.
Spokeswoman Karin Fourie said on Monday that Cell C was “compelled to take such action because the billboard contains the personal contact details of one of our valued employees”.
The banner goes on to say “Cell C’s Riaan van Rooyen, ‘franchise manager’, says his unnamed ‘executive head’ refused to assist the customer”.
Said Fourie: “We also argue in our application that the billboard is defamatory, makes unauthorised use of our trademark and appears to have been put up in contravention of municipal by-laws”.
The case had been set down for Monday, but had to be moved to on Wednes “to afford other parties time to respond”, Fourie said.
Prokas, whose name is listed for directorship under a number of companies at the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office, was unavailable for comment.
His cellphone rang unanswered and a woman who answered one of the landline numbers listed under his name – the same number listed for the World Wear Mall – said: “Right now he’s on a plane (so) I can’t phone him to chat to him”.
Asked if Prokas will be in court on Wednesday, the woman, who identified herself as Beverly, said “I only answer phones here, my dear”. About the court papers, she said: “You and everybody else in the country (are looking for the papers)… I don’t have.”
The Star