Elon Musk claims South Africa gained’t license Starlink as a result of he’s not Black, however his household constructed their wealth underneath apartheid.
Elon Musk says South Africa’s authorities is obstructing Starlink from working within the nation as a result of he’s not Black, and he’s making it a racial discrimination situation.
The world’s richest man hopped on the right-wing-leaning platform he purchased for $44 billion to whine that he was being handled unfairly by the South African authorities.
“South Africa gained’t enable Starlink to be licensed, though I used to be BORN THERE, just because I’m not Black! We had been supplied many instances the chance to bribe our approach to a license by pretending {that a} Black man runs Starlink SA, however I’ve refused to take action on precept,” Elon Musk fumed.
South Africa gained’t enable Starlink to be licensed, though I used to be BORN THERE, just because I’m not Black!
We had been supplied many instances the chance to bribe our approach to a license by pretending {that a} Black man runs Starlink SA, however I’ve refused to take action on precept.… https://t.co/m6G1ZQcC1C
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2026
Musk grew up in apartheid in Johannesburg in 1971 in a rich white household that benefited immediately from the system that brutalized Black individuals for many years.
Whereas Black townships had been revolting within the Eighties and the federal government imposed a state of emergency, Musk was dwelling safely in leafy white suburbs, attending all-white colleges, utterly shielded from the oppression occurring outdoors his gated world.
His father, Errol, has expressed nostalgia for apartheid, saying on file that “it was a very good time, as a result of we had no crime.”
That’s the context wherein Musk’s grievance exists. South Africa’s Black Financial Empowerment framework wasn’t created to discriminate in opposition to white individuals.
It was designed to deal with centuries of financial inequality created by colonialism and apartheid, requiring telecommunications corporations to provide 30% fairness to traditionally deprived teams.
Based on Reuters, South Africa’s Communications Minister Solly Malatsi made it clear in Could 2025 that the nation isn’t watering down these legal guidelines for anyone.
“Transformation is sacrosanct in our nation,” he mentioned. “It’s a non-negotiable.”
In the meantime, Musk’s X platform has develop into a haven for racist content material since he took over.
Research present hate speech on X elevated 50% after his buy, and when organizations tried documenting the racist materials, Musk sued them.
A federal choose dismissed his case as “vapid.”
Musk’s been pushing false narratives about white South African persecution whereas permitting precise racism to flourish on his platform, and now he’s utilizing his affect with Trump to strain South Africa into exempting him from the identical transformation legal guidelines that apply to each different firm.
“Racism shouldn’t be rewarded irrespective of to which race it’s utilized. Disgrace on the racist politicians in South Africa. They need to be proven no respect in any way wherever on the earth and shunned for being unashamedly RACISTS,” Musk mentioned.
Elon Musk’s bro, President Donald Trump, signed an government order in February 2025, accusing South Africa of “unjust racial discrimination” in opposition to white Afrikaners and reducing support to the nation, which receives 17% of its HIV/AIDS funds from the US.
As reported by The Guardian, Musk’s childhood in apartheid South Africa formed his present worldview, and his assaults on the nation’s transformation efforts are tied on to his enterprise pursuits in getting Starlink licensed with out assembly the identical necessities as everybody else.
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