Elon Musk has put South Africa on blast – again – after he claimed that his internet satellite service Starlink was rejected on the basis of his race.
The world’s richest man – who was born in Pretoria – has previously called out his country of birth over its “racist laws.”
Musk is also accused of influencing US President Donald Trump to clamp down on SA.
ELON MUSK SLAMS SA OVER STARLINK REJECTION
In a tweet on Friday, 7 March, Elon Musk slammed South Africa’s “rejection” of Starlink, which falls under his SpaceX company.
He tweeted: “Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa because I’m not black.”
Musk is indirectly referring to ICASA’s Black Economic Empowerment Act (BEE), which requires all companies to acquire a 30% local shareholding by “historically disadvantaged” groups. According to SpaceX, it argued that the requirement would drive away foreign investors, who have global policies that prevent local shareholding.
Musk also retweeted posts from several staunch “right-wing” X accounts that accused the SA government of implementing racist policies.
Last month, Starlink withdrew its proposal to establish a license to operate in South Africa. The company reportedly handed in a written submission to the regulatory body ICASA to “rethink” its BEE legislature.
Speaking to Bloomberg, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, later claimed that the government was halting Starlink’s proposal indefinitely due to rising tensions between Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump regarding the SA government.
Images via X: @elonmusk/ Canva
In recent weeks, Trump and the world’s richest man have questioned and criticised SA for “racial discrimination” against white South Africans.
Magwenya said: “If a leading business figure like Elon Musk harbours the kind of unprogressive, racist views that we’ve witnessed and the peddling of lies that we’ve been confronted with, then we’re not going to pursue having his investments.”
SOUTH AFRICANS REACT
Under Elon Musk’s tweet, South Africans responded to his controversial opinion. While a few agreed with him, many accused Musk of spreading misinformation to the world.
@dramadelinquent: “Oh, rubbish. You’re being told you have to have 30% black ownership. Don’t lie that it’s because you’re not black.”
@Ziyaggy: “Starlink can’t operate because it hasn’t filed an application to operate within the bounds of the law. Not because of your race.”
@IamEriOluwa: “Correction: You have opted not to operate in South Africa because you are unwilling to comply with registration requirements mandating that 30% of the company be owned by Black South Africans. A beautiful and humane policy which aims to address historical disadvantages caused by the Apartheid system, which disproportionately benefited white South Africans”.
The truth.!! pic.twitter.com/08XyxvGlyj
— Zenzo (@Ndaba_2025) March 7, 2025
Podcaster Penual Mlotshwa also shared his views, tweeting: “The lies you’re peddling are really heartbreaking for some of us.
DJ Sbu also tweeted: “You know very well that you are welcome like everyone else, Elon, JUST COMPLY.”.
CELEBRATING X AS SA’S #1 ‘NEWS APP’
While Starlink is off the table for South Africans, Elon Musk is celebrating his feat that X – which he owns – is a widely used platform in the country.
Musk reposted a tweet from a fan account that read: “South Africa may not allow Starlink to operate. But they can’t stop people of their country from seeking the truth. X is now the #1 News App on the AppStore in South Africa!”
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