Elon Musk’s Starlink and the racist scrubs on South Africa

The pulsar between Starlink Elon Musk and South Africa stems due to the company’s failure in the country’s black empowerment laws in the country, and it can be one of the factors behind the diplomatic ranks between the United States and Africa most in Africa.

To more than 219 million followers on the social media platform X, Mr. Musk presented the racist prosecution that the satellite Internet service provider “was not allowed to work in South Africa simply Because I am not black“.

But the Independent Communications Commission of South Africa (ICSA) – an organizational body in the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors – told the BBC that Starlink has never submitted a request for a license.

As for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she said that the company was welcome to work in the country “provided that there was a compliance with local laws.”

To work in South Africa, Starlink needs to obtain network licenses and services, which both require 30 % property by historically deprived groups.

This mainly indicates the majority of the black population in South Africa, which was closed outside the economy during the apartheid system.

The rule of the white base ended in 1994 after Nelson Mandela and the African National Conference (ANC) arrived in power.

Since then, the African National Congress Party “Black Empowerment” has made a central work of its economic policy in an attempt to address ethnic injustice in the past.

This included adopting legislation asking investors to give local black companies a 30 % stake in their business in South Africa.

It seems that Mr. Musk – who was born in South Africa in 1971 before moving to Canada in the late eighties, then to the United States, where he became the richest man in the world – he sees this is the main stumbling block in Starlink to work in the country.

Starlink said, in a written submission to ICSA, that the provisions of black empowerment in legislation excluded many “foreign satellite operators from the South Africa market, according to the local news site TechCentral.

But Foreign Ministry spokesman, Clacyon Monella, stabbed this opinion in March, saying that X that more than 600 American companies, including the Microsoft Computing Giant, were working in South Africa according to its laws – and “prosperous”.

Musk’s Starlink has a potential ally of South African Communications Minister Sole Malati.

It comes from the Democratic Alliance (DA) – the second largest party in South Africa – which joined the coalition government after the African National Congress Party failed to obtain a parliamentary majority in the elections last year.

DA is a fierce critic of the current black empowerment laws, claiming that it has fed patronage and corruption with investors who were forced to associate with the continuous companies ANC to work in South Africa or win state contracts.

Last October, Malati hinted that he was looking for a way to circumvent black stock requirements by 30 %, saying that he intends to issue a “political trend” to ICSA with the aim of clarifying “the position on recognition of equivalent stock programs.”

In simple phrases, Malaatsi appears to indicate that Starlink will not require a black commercial partner in South Africa, although he will have to invest in social programs that aim to benefit from blacks – especially the poor.

But about six months later, Malaatsi failed to change policy, as a BBC spokesman told their legal team still looking into the matter.

The Minister of Communications may seem to face political resistance from legislators at the African National Congress Party in Parliament.

Khosila Deco, Chairman of the Parliamentary Communications Committee, which Malatisi was responsible for earlier this month, warned him that the “transformation” in the technology sector is not negotiable, and it appears that he is opposed to giving Mr. Musk Starlink any special treatment.

Deco said, “The law is clear about compliance,” and he added mainly, that “cutting angles and circumvention is not an option – at least of everything to satisfy commercial interests.”

It is not surprising to Diko, as the relations between the South African government and the United States have struck rocks during the term of US President Donald Tomb II.

Mr. Musk, part of the Trump’s inner circle, resides on X against what he calls “racist property laws” in South Africa, while the US President threatened to boycott the Group of Twenty’s G20 summit later this year.

“How can we expect to go to South Africa to attend the very important G20 meeting when land confiscation and genocide are the main theme of the conversation? They take the land of white farmers, then kill them and their families,” Trump said on the social media platform social truth.

His allegations of genocide against white farmers were It was widely rejected as a mistakeBut they repeat these technical billionaires.

Last month, Mr. Musk accused a “major” political party in South Africa – referring to the radical economic freedom fighters (EFF), which ranked fourth in the elections last year – from “Promoting white genocide actively”.

“A month ago, the government of South Africa passed a law indicating that the property of the eggs was taken at the will without any payment,” said Mr. Musk.

Where is the anger? Why is there no coverage by the old media?

South Africa passed a law earlier this year, allowing the government to seize property without compensation, but Only in some cases.

However, Musk connects these issues by failing to obtain a license for Starlink.

“Starlink cannot obtain a license to work in South Africa just because I am not black.” He said again in March.

His hard position comes despite the meeting of the President of South Africa in New York last year.

At that time, Mr. Musk described the meeting as “great”, while President Cyril Ramavusa said he tried to persuade the billionaire to invest in South Africa.

“Elon Musk’s meeting was a clear intention for me … Some people call it Bromance, so it is a complete process to revive his emotion and his relationship with South Africa,” Ramavusa told the South Africa’s public broadcaster, Sabc.

But he added that there was nothing yet “bed”.

“As happens with potential investors, you have to chase them, you have to talk to them, and you have to show them that there is an environment conducive to them for investment. Therefore, we will see how this turns,” the president said.

“He is born in South Africa and South Africa is his home, and I want to see him come to South Africa for a visit, tour, or anything else.”

But the “Bome” has ended long ago, with Mr. Musk appearing as if he was approaching the right wing in South Africa.

Lesoto seems to be bowed from the Trump administration by announcing Monday that it had submitted a 10 -year license to Starlink.

This comes after Trump imposed a 50 % tariff on Lesoto imports, threatening thousands of jobs in the country.

Trump later stopped this for 90 days, but it is still 10 % on April 5.

Some reports indicate that the LCA Etisalat Authority has cleansed organizational obstacles to avoid the threat of increased customs tariffs by granting Starlink license.

However, this was rejected by Foreign Minister Legon Mpotjoane.

“The request for licensing and customs tariff negotiations should not be mixed,” he said.

The decision to grant the license was convicted by the second section of the civil society group, which caused anxiety that Starlink lesotho was 100 % owned by foreigners and lacking local ownership, I mentioned the news site in South Africa.

“Such measures cannot be described as betrayal-a shameful sale process by a government that appears to be increasingly prepared to place the interests of foreign companies above democratic will and long-term development needs of the Lesoto people,” and quoted the Coordinator of the second division, Kannilo Boland.

During the general consultations on Starlink’s request, Vodacom Lesotho also argued that MRES’s Companyy must create a local contribution before receiving a license, I mentioned the space site in Africa.

“These concerns highlight the broader tensions surrounding Starlink operations throughout Africa, especially the increasing demand for local partnerships,” he added.

Starlink appears to be looking for an exemption in Namibia from the requirements of bringing a local partner.

Namibia is a former colony of Germany, and it was under the rule of the white fly system in South Africa until it gained independence in 1990.

It has more strict requirements than its neighbor after the apartheid, as companies in Namibia need to be locally owned by 51 %.

The BBC CRANINA CNALINIK has submitted a request for a telecommunications service license in June 2024.

Karan said that although this process usually takes between three to six months, a decision has not yet been taken because “he must first wait for the request to be exempt from ownership” by the Minister of Information and Communications Technology in Namibia.

Starlink is now working in more than 20 African countries, with Somalia, which has suffered an Islamic rebellion, giving him a 10 -year license on April 13, two days before Lesoto’s decision to do so.

“We welcome Starlink to enter Somalia. This initiative is compatible with our vision to provide internet services at reasonable and accessible prices to all Somalis, regardless of where they live.”

Starlink aims to provide high -speed internet services for remote areas or that suffer from lack of services, which makes them a possible change in rural areas unable to access traditional forms of communication such as mobile broadband and fiber.

This is because Starlink, instead of relying on optics or fiber cables to transmit data, is used a network of satellites in the low Earth orbit. Because they are closer to Earth, they have faster transfer speeds than traditional satellites.

Nigeria was the first African country to allow Starlink to work, in 2023. The company has since grown to the second largest Internet services provider in the most impressive African country.

But Starlink still has no presence in South Africa – the nation of the most industrial continent.

Adventure local population found a way to contact the service using the regional roaming packages purchased in the countries that were available.

Starlink put an end to this year while ICSA also warned local companies that those who found that providing the service illegally may face a huge fine.

However, an estimated 20 % of South Africa cannot access the Internet at all – many in rural areas – may prove that it is useful for both Starlink and the government to reach a compromise.

As for Starlink, it can prove the presence of a profitable market, while the wide satellite range may help the government achieve its goal of providing comprehensive access to the Internet by 2030.

On Monday, Ramavusa was appointed former Deputy Finance Minister McBressi Jonas as his special envoy to the United States, indicating his determination to reform relations with the Trump administration.

However, the appointment of Jonas faced a violent reaction to the right -wing circles, as in the 2020 speech, Trump called “stability of racism” and “right -wing narrative wing”.

In an interview on the exhibition podcastJonas said he made comments when he was not in the government and “people moved.”

He admitted that he would be “a long offer to rebuild understanding”, but added that South Africa’s relationship with the United States was “essential” and was determined to improve it.

Jonas’s comments are not surprising because the United States is a major trading partner for South Africa. With Trump threatening a 30 % tariff on its goods, Ramaphosa cannot see relations continuing to deteriorate and economy that offers more ways.