EFF threatens legal action over plans to offer Elon Musk’s Starlink [VIDEO]

The EFF is threatening legal action over reports that South Africa plans to offer Elon Musk’s Starlink a special workaround to BEE local laws.

The offer came at a last-minute meeting planned for Tuesday night between Musk or his representatives and a delegation of South African officials travelling with President Cyril Ramaphosa, according to three people familiar with the discussions.

Starlink

According to sources who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to discuss the matter, the move aims to defuse the wave of criticism from Musk and US President Donald Trump — who have spread misinformation alleging a genocide against white people in Africa’s most industrialised nation — ahead of Ramaphosa’s meeting at the White House on Wednesday.

Talks on launching Starlink in South Africa stalled earlier this year after Musk and Trump ramped up public rhetoric against policies such as BEE laws, which mandate that foreign-owned telecoms companies allocate at least 30% of local equity to historically disadvantaged groups, primarily Black South Africans.

Musk, who is South African-born, previously claimed Starlink was barred from operating in South Africa because he is not black, an allegation South African officials refuted.

The EFF is threatening legal action over reports that South Africa plans to offer Elon Musk's Starlink a special workaround to BEE local laws. The party says the decision is unconstitutional and will compromise the country's sovereignty.

EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo says if… pic.twitter.com/n7Tb49j588

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 20, 2025

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‘Unconstitutional’

EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the decision to offer Starlink a workaround “is unconstitutional and will compromise the country’s sovereignty”.

“This move is not only unconstitutional, but it also exposes Ramaphosa as willing to compromise on our sovereignty to massage the inflated ego of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

“We must remind the public and the presidency that Cyril Ramaphosa has no executive authority to unilaterally guarantee access to South Africa’s telecommunications sector, let alone bypass necessary Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws.

“Any such commitments fall squarely within the legislative domain of Parliament, not Luthuli House or the President’s delegation. These powers are governed by national legislation and independent regulators, not the whims of one man desperate for foreign approval,” Thambo said.

Technology

Thambo said that while the EFF supports technological advancement, it warns that Starlink must not bypass South Africa’s legal and democratic frameworks.

“We are not opposed to technology or global innovation, but we will not allow unregulated, foreign-controlled infrastructure to operate outside our democratic and legislative systems.

“Starlink represents a threat to local industry and national security, especially as it’s owned by someone who has peddled lies about genocide in South Africa to gain preferential market access.

“One wonders why Elon Musk is so desperate to set up operations in a country involved in a genocide, as any genuine humanitarian would recognise genocide as a disincentive for investment,” Thambo said.

Thambo said the EFF has vowed to oppose the Starlink deal in “Parliament, in the courts, and in the streets, if necessary”.

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