US EditionMusk Claims Racism Behind Starlink Block in South Africa
The council launched a full review of the 2016 ICT Sector Code as Starlink says it will invest R500 million in rural schools.
- On Sunday, entrepreneur Elon Musk claimed on X that Starlink is blocked in South Africa because he is 'not Black,' while alleging officials repeatedly offered bribes to bypass local ownership requirements.
- South African law requires telecommunications licensees to allocate 30% equity to historically disadvantaged groups under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy, which Musk has criticized as 'extremely racist.'
- Head of Public Diplomacy Clayson Monyela dismissed the bribery allegations as 'pure lies,' stating Starlink has not formally applied for a license despite the regulatory requirements.
- Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya responded by suggesting Musk seek opportunities in '192 markets' outside South Africa, signaling the government will not alter its regulatory framework for a single company.
- Communications Minister Solly Malatsi proposed Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes as an alternative to ownership rules in December 2025, though ruling party leaders oppose diluting empowerment goals.
38 Articles
38 Articles
’Black Empowerment’ law stalls Elon Musk's $113 million investment in SA
"The message being sent is that if you are a powerful foreign billionaire, you can sidestep South Africa’s laws, while our local businesses are forced to jump through hoops", said Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster, deputy leader of the opposition party Build One South Africa.
Starlink Row: Musk Slams South African Regulator, Alleges Bribery
The rift between Elon Musk and the South African government has reached a boiling point as the tech billionaire escalates his allegations of corruption and discrimination. While Starlink, Musk’s satellite internet service, continues its rapid expansion across the African continent in nations like Nigeria and Kenya, it remains conspicuously absent from his own birthplace, South Africa. At the heart of the dispute is South Africa's Electronic Comm…
Musk calls South Africa racist over Starlink block, alleges it happened because he’s ‘not Black’
Elon Musk accused South Africa of racism, claiming Black ownership laws block Starlink’s license. The government maintains that compliance with post-Apartheid empowerment policies is mandatory for all foreign firms.
Elon Musk Ripped After Accusing South Africa Of Denying Starlink License Due To Anti-White 'Racism'
Apartheid—the word for "apartness" in Afrikaans—was a legalized system that instituted racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa enacted by the National Party government from 1948 to 1994.The party enforced a system of White minority rule by stripping "colored"—anyone non-White, but not Black—and Black South Africans of their rights based on their skin color and ethnicity.At the bottom of the social hierarchy were the population majo…
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