Elon Musk, owner of the corporate giants X, Tesla and several businesses, has, again, alleged that Starlink is not being allowed to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.
In 2025, the South African telecom regulatory body stated that Starlink had not applied for a licence to start operations in the country.
Musk, owner of Starlink, repeated his controversial claim on Thursday, January 8, 2026, that Starlink is not being allowed to be an Internet provider in South Africa because “I am not Black.”
Musk said, “Starlink is not allowed to have an Internet provider license in South Africa for the sole reason that I am not Black. This is not ok.”
Musk also shared an excerpt of his interview at the Qatar Economic Forum in 2025, where he asserted that “There are 140 laws in South Africa that basically give strong preference to if you are a Black South African and not otherwise. Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not Black.”
USAfricaonline.com notes that it is important to factually state that Musk is a White South African.
