South African Official: Starlink Has No License To Operate In The Country

South Africa has rejected claims by billionaire Elon Musk that his Starlink satellite company is banned from operating in the country due to his race.

An ICASA spokesperson stated the agency "has not received any application from Starlink or SpaceX." I Photo: Starlink X

The nation’s telecommunications regulator clarified that Starlink has never applied for a license, Tannur Anders and Sfundo Parakozov reported for Reuters.

In his latest criticism of the country where he was born and raised, Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa because I'm not Black."

The claim was swiftly refuted by Clayson Monyela, a senior official at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). In a post on X, Monyela emphatically denied Musk’s statement:

"Sir, that's NOT true & you know it! It's got nothing to do with your skin color. Starlink is welcome to operate in South Africa—provided it complies with local laws."

Monyela emphasized that this is a standard international trade and investment principle.

Musk appeared to be referencing South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws, which require foreign-owned telecommunications companies to sell 30% of the equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups.

According to TechCentral, a South African technology news website, Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, had previously written to the telecommunications regulator, ICASA, urging it to reconsider the 30% ownership requirement for licensees.

However, an ICASA spokesperson stated, "ICASA has not received any application from Starlink or SpaceX." This suggests that Musk’s claim is misleading, Nqobile Dludla and Tim Cocks also reported for Reuters.