By Tannur Anders and Sfundo Parakozov
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa on Friday rejected a claim by multibillionaire Elon Musk that his Starlink satellite company could not operate in the country because he is not Black, and its telecoms regulator said Starlink had not applied for a licence.
In his latest rebuke of the country where he was born and went to school, Musk wrote on X, which he also owns: “Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not black”.
Clayson Monyela, a senior official at the foreign affairs department, responded emphatically on the social media platform.
“Sir, that’s NOT true & you know it! It’s got nothing to do with your skin colour. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa provided there’s compliance with local laws,” Monyela wrote. “This is a global international trade & investment principle.”
Musk appeared to be taking a swipe at local Black Economic Empowerment rules that foreign-owned telecommunications licensees sell 30% of the equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups.
South African technology news website TechCentral has reported that Starlink’s parent company SpaceX wrote to telecommunications regulator ICASA telling it that it should rethink the 30% ownership requirement for licensees.
An ICASA spokesperson said without elaborating: “ICASA has not received any application from Starlink or SpaceX.”
Communications minister Solly Malatsi did not answer a phone call seeking comment.
TechCentral has reported that Malatsi has asked ICASA to consider “equity equivalents” like skills development to allow companies like SpaceX to operate locally.
Starlink operates in many African countries, but in addition to South Africa it has faced obstacles in places like Cameroon and Namibia due to licensing disputes.
Musk attended school in the South African capital Pretoria before emigrating to the United States, where he is now a top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump as well as the world’s richest person.
Within weeks of taking office Trump has suspended U.S. aid to South Africa over its land reform policies and its genocide case against Washington’s ally Israel at the World Court.
(Additional reporting by Nqobile Dludla and Tim Cocks; Writing by Alexander Winning; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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