Elon Musk accuses SA officials of bribery scheme in Starlink fight

Elon Musk

Cape Town – Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has accused South African authorities of blocking Starlink’s licensing process and claiming the company was offered the chance to “bribe” its way into the market by falsely presenting Black ownership.

In a post on X on Saturday, Musk said Starlink had been repeatedly blocked from operating in South Africa despite his country of birth, alleging that licensing conditions required the involvement of Black ownership structures.

“South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was BORN THERE, simply because I am not Black!” Musk wrote.

He further alleged that attempts had been made to circumvent the rules through improper means, which he said he rejected.

“We were offered many times the opportunity to bribe our way to a license by pretending that a Black guy runs Starlink SA, but I have refused to do so on principle,” Musk said.

Musk, who was born in South Africa, also described South African policymakers as “racist politicians” and called for international condemnation, saying they “should be shown no respect whatsoever anywhere in the world and shunned for being unashamedly RACISTS.”

South African government officials rejected the allegations.

Clayson Monyela, head of diplomacy, called Musk’s claims “pure lies” and said no bribe request had ever been made, adding that all companies are required to comply with local laws, according to The Citizen.

“There are situations where you go to report a crime or an attempted crime, but there’s certainly no request from the South African government for any bribe, and it’s asking every company that wants to do business in South Africa to comply with the law,” the report quoted Monyela as saying.

“It’s pure lies, a fabrication. All the companies are complying, and he wants to be treated specially. Why? And yet, America is doing the same thing. Look at what they did to TikTok,” he said.

Monyela also pointed to the presence of hundreds of US companies operating in South Africa under the same regulatory framework.

“Elon Musk, watching the more than 600 USA companies in South Africa, complying with South African laws and thriving. Zero drama,” he wrote on X.

Another X user, Michael de Villiers, defended South Africa, accusing Musk of being a “blatant liar.”

“You’re a blatant liar. That’s exactly why this platform has become so distasteful. You acquired it on the promise of tackling misinformation, yet you’ve become one of its biggest sources.

“There are over 500 American companies operating in South Africa, many of them led by white executives. This isn’t about facts, it’s about smearing South Africa for your own benefit,” said de Villiers.

South Africa’s telecoms sector is governed by licensing and ownership rules intended to promote local participation and redress past inequalities.

Under existing regulations, foreign-owned operators are typically required to meet empowerment thresholds, often through local shareholding structures or partnerships.

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