Starlink: South Africa rejects Musk claim

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On Friday, South Africa dismissed claims made by billionaire Elon Musk, stating that his Starlink satellite company could not operate in the country due to his race.

Musk, in a recent criticism of his home country, posted on X, “Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not black.”

In response, Clayson Monyela, a senior official at the Department of Foreign Affairs, firmly refuted the claim on social media.

“Sir, that’s NOT true, and you know it! It has nothing to do with your race. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa as long as it complies with local laws. This is a principle of international trade and investment,” Monyela wrote.

Musk seemed to be commenting on South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) regulations, which require foreign telecommunications firms to sell 30% of their equity to historically disadvantaged groups.

TechCentral, a South African tech news site, reported that Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, had sent a letter to the telecommunications regulator, ICASA, asking it to reconsider the 30% ownership rule for licensees.

An ICASA spokesperson stated, without further details: “ICASA has not received any application from Starlink or SpaceX.”

Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has yet to make any public statement on the matter.

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