Call to drop BEE requirement to let Starlink in criticised

American tech billionaire Elon Musk may be wielding enormous influence in negatively tilting US relations towards South Africa, but a local political analyst has underscored the importance of government not wavering on its broad-based black economic empowerment (B-BBEE) policy.

- Brian Sokutu

This was in reaction to Musk having rubbished as "racist" B-BBEE – a legal requirement compelling companies conducting business locally to include historically disadvantaged Africans in business deals.

Amid the Musk controversy, his company SpaceX yesterday emerged among several entities presenting bids before the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) public hearings in Centurion for the proposed new licensing framework for satellite services.

With Musk's Starlink – a low-earth-orbit satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, already launched in Botswana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia – lobby group AfriForum, has been exerting pressure on Icasa to "drop its strict race criteria that currently encumber the granting of a South African licence to satellite internet service Starlink".