The government has dismissed claims by Pretoria-born billionaire Elon Musk that his satellite internet firm Starlink is being blocked from operating in South Africa because he is not black.
Taking to his social media platform, X, Musk accused South Africa of upholding “viciously racist” laws.
“South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was born there, simply because I am not black,” Musk said.
“We were offered many times the opportunity to bribe our way to a licence by pretending that a black guy runs Starlink SA, but I have refused to do so on principle.”
Musk said that “racism should not be rewarded” regardless of the race involved, and called for South African politicians to be sanctioned, barred from international travel and have their assets seized.
The remarks sparked a sharp rebuttal from government officials.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya urged Musk to “move on” and grow his business elsewhere.
“There are currently 193 member states in the UN,” Magwenya said. “Surely, there’s good money to be made out of 192 markets. It’s OK to move on.”
Clayson Monyela, department of international relations spokesperson, suggested Musk was frustrated by the success of more than 600 US companies thriving in South Africa while complying with local laws. The exchange turned personal when Musk responded to Monyela, calling him a “f***ing racist”.
Under Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) regulations, foreign telecommunications licensees must allocate 30% equity to historically disadvantaged groups as part of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policy.
Musk has consistently resisted this requirement, labelling it discriminatory. However, former public protector Thuli Madonsela challenged Musk’s narrative, accusing him of spreading disinformation.
“Simply not true, Musk,” Madonsela said. “South Africa has constitutionally mandatory guardrails ... to ensure economic parity through restitutive measures. Such measures are also permissible under international law (ICERD), which states that special measures taken to advance disadvantaged groups do not constitute discrimination.”
Madonsela emphasised that BEE rules apply across the board, including to black-owned companies.
“Musk, please stop misleading people about your business interests in South Africa. Tell the truth.”
While government officials remained firm, some organisations backed the billionaire’s stance. Ernst Roets, executive director of Lex Libertas, agreed with Musk’s assessment.
“Elon Musk is right,” Roets said. “The South African government is both racist and incompetent to the core. For too long, they have gotten away with calling themselves ‘the children of Mandela’ to curry favour ... while they have become the very thing they claim to oppose.”
While Starlink operates in several African nations, it continues to face regulatory and licensing hurdles in countries such as Cameroon and Namibia.
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