South Africa blasts Musk for saying he can’t operate Starlink since he is not ‘Black’

South Africa blasts Musk for saying he can’t operate Starlink since he is not ‘Black’

South Africa has dismissed Elon Musk’s claims that he cannot deploy his Starlink network in the country because he is not "Black."

The Tesla CEO wrote on X: "Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa because I'm not Black."

However, the South African government responded through Clayson Monyela, a senior official at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, reminding the billionaire that he must first comply with local regulations.

"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 there's compliance with local laws. This is a global international trade & investment principle," Clayson Monyela wrote on social media.

Elon Musk was apparently referring to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) regulations, which require foreign-owned telecommunications license holders to sell 30% of their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups.