Overview
- Elon Musk, in posts on Sunday, said South Africa blocked a Starlink licence because he is not Black and alleged officials promoted a sham local-ownership fix he called a bribe.
- The Presidency urged Musk to seek other markets, and a senior diplomat denied any bribe request and said the company must follow South African law.
- South Africa’s Electronic Communications Act links telecom licences to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment rules that aim to redress apartheid-era exclusion by requiring roughly 30% ownership or other benefits for historically disadvantaged groups.
- A policy set in December 2025 allows an equity-equivalent investment in place of direct ownership, and Starlink has posted a plan to invest R500 million to connect 5,000 rural schools with free high-speed internet.
- Regulators said in April 2025 that Starlink had not applied for a licence, and no public confirmation of a filing has followed, while Namibia’s regulator rejected a Starlink application in March 2026.