• South Africa's Communications Minister confirms no special exemptions for Starlink.
• The country requires foreign companies to have 30% Black ownership to operate.
• The draft policy aims to enhance competition in the ICT sector.

South Africa's Communications Minister, Solly Malatsi, emphasized in a recent parliamentary briefing that there will be no special treatment for Elon Musk's Starlink under the country's electronic communications regulations. "We are not attempting to open a special dispensation for Starlink or any other company or an individual," he asserted, addressing concerns following proposed changes to Black ownership requirements in the tech sector, which include provisions for "equity equivalent" investment programs, according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.

The requirement that foreign-owned communications companies must sell 30% of equity to historically disadvantaged groups has garnered criticism, particularly from Musk, who has argued that such laws are discriminatory. Despite these criticisms, Minister Malatsi clarified that the proposed draft policy is not aimed specifically at aiding Starlink but rather at improving overall market competition. He stated, "Transformation is sacrosanct in our country," a sentiment echoed across various outlets, including India Times and Africanews.

Malatsi's department proposed these changes shortly after a controversial White House meeting between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and former U.S. President Donald Trump, further complicating perceptions of the timing and intent of these policies. Critics, including opposition lawmaker Khusela Diko, have raised concerns that easing these requirements could undermine the country’s economic empowerment agenda, as noted in reports by India Times and Africanews.