Is South Africa rewriting the rules for Elon Musk and Starlink? We interview Minister Solly Malatsi...
Did Elon Musk’s presence at the White House meeting last week spark a policy shift in South Africa’s telecoms rules?
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during the inaugural parade inside Capital One Arena, in Washington, DC, on 20 January 2025. Picture: ANGELA WEISS/AFP
702's Bongani Bingwa is joined by Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communication and Digital Technology.
Listen below:
The jury may still be out as to which president prevailed in the White House last week, but all indications are the real winner was not a head of state but the richest man in the world.
Elon Musk's presence in the meeting loomed large, although he hardly said a word.
Within days, South Africa’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies published a review of B-BBEE licensing rules for satellite service providers.
So, is South Africa now bending the rules for Musk or simply creating fairer access for all?
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"We are not opening the door for any specific company or individual."
- Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communication and Digital Technology
Instead, says Malatsi, the government is seeking to ensure clarity and consistency between the ICT sector codes and the legislation, adding that work on this particular policy directive began in September last year.
"[The ICT sector codes] are a direct result of the BBB-EE Act of 2013, which makes provision for equivalent programs as an alternative instrument for their 30% local ownership for businesses, particularly multinationals seeking to do business in South Africa."
- Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communication and Digital Technology
According to the Electronic Communications Act, a licensee must be 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups.
The ICT Sector Code, which superseded the Act, looks at requirements that a licensee be 30% Black-owned only.
"There's still a gap between the ownership regulations [and the Act], particularly for the issuing of individual licences that were issued by ICASA in 2021, and we are seeking to harmonise the two."
- Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communication and Digital Technology
Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.
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