Rwandan diplomat addressing regional issues amid concerns over DRC rebel ties.
South Africa’s Communications Minister Solly Malatsi is under fire for allegedly trying to dilute local ownership laws to allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to operate in the country. The minister proposed recognizing equity-equivalent programs to help multinationals bypass the 30% local ownership rule—a requirement Starlink has struggled to meet. While Malatsi argues the move would boost broadband access, parliamentary committee chair Khusela Sangoni Diko has opposed it. Diko claimed that Malatsi was circumventing empowerment legislation and pointed to the partnership between MTN, a local South African company, and Lynk, an American satellite provider, as proof that innovation doesn’t require bending the rules. MTN and Lynk recently accomplished Africa’s first satellite voice call with a smartphone.
