Starlink: South Africa proposes policy shift to ease satellite licensing requirements

By Simona Nare

Communication and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has proposed policy amendments to relax Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) licensing requirement for satellite services in a move widely seen to open the door for Starlink.

The gazette, posted on Friday, comes just days after a South African delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa met US President Donald Trump and his close ally Elon Musk, Starlink owner and South African born businessman.

During the heated meeting where the delegation was caught off guard by video footage and photographic evidence of alleged “White Genocide,” billionaire Johan Rupert, credited with organising the gathering, appealed to Trump that South Africa urgently needed Starlink to combat rising crime.

Previously, Musk had claimed that bureaucratic hurdles, allegedly racially motivated, had blocked his company’s efforts to obtain an operating license.

The latest developments following the meeting with Trump have sparked speculation about potential legislative changes.