Elon Musk’s Starlink may soon enter South Africa—but only if it successfully navigates the country’s stringent Black-empowerment licensing rule, which requires Black people to own a portion of businesses operating in the country. According to Communications Minister Solly Malatsi, the final call on whether Starlink will operate in South Africa rests with the industry regulator, Icasa. Malatsi himself, a member of the business-friendly Democratic Alliance party, supports alternative compliance routes for foreign satellite firms. For instance, he has proposed that satellite firms like Starlink be allowed to invest in Black-owned businesses or infrastructure instead of giving up equity. However, the proposal, inspired by past equity-equivalent deals with automakers such as Toyota and BMW, has drawn political pushback amid debates over racial equity and economic inclusion.
Bloomberg
