Elon Musk has sensationally claimed he was repeatedly offered opportunities to secure a Starlink licence in South Africa through bribes and by misrepresenting the company’s ownership, allegations swiftly rejected by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office.
The South African-born billionaire took to X, formerly Twitter, to allege that officials suggested Starlink could operate in the country if it pretended to have a Black owner.
“We were offered many times the opportunity to bribe our way to a license by pretending that a Black guy runs Starlink SA, but I have refused to do so on principle,” Musk wrote.
South Africa’s licensing framework requires foreign telecommunications operators to allocate 30 percent equity to historically disadvantaged groups under Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) rules.
Musk has long resisted compliance, arguing that his exclusion is based on race rather than regulatory policy.
Starlink has sought to expand into South Africa as part of its global rollout of satellite internet services, but its bid has stalled amid regulatory requirements.
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa has maintained that compliance with B-BBEE is mandatory for licensing.
Responding to Musk’s latest claims, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya dismissed the allegations, suggesting the entrepreneur should focus on other markets.
“There are currently 193 member states in the United Nations. Surely, there’s good money to be made out of 192 markets. It’s okay to move on!” Magwenya posted directly to Musk.
JN/APA