Musk Accuses South Africa of Racial Bias in Starlink License

Elon Musk, the South African-born CEO of SpaceX, accused the South African government of racial discrimination on Sunday, claiming it has denied his satellite internet company Starlink an operating license because he is not Black. In a series of posts on his social media platform X, Musk alleged that officials offered him opportunities to secure approval through bribery by misrepresenting the leadership of a local Starlink entity, offers he said he rejected on principle.

The dispute, which has simmered for over a year, centers on South Africa's Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies. These regulations require telecommunications companies to allocate at least 30 percent of local equity to historically disadvantaged groups, including Black South Africans, women, and people with disabilities, to address inequalities stemming from apartheid. Musk, who grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era, argued that such rules amount to racism and should not be rewarded, regardless of the race affected. "Shame on the racist politicians in South Africa. They should be shown no respect whatsoever anywhere in the world and shunned for being unashamedly racists," he wrote.