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Elon Musk says South Africa’s government is blocking Starlink from operating in the country because he’s not Black, and he’s making it a racial discrimination issue.
The world’s richest man hopped on the right-wing-leaning platform he bought for $44 billion to whine that he was being treated unfairly by the South African government.
“South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was BORN THERE, simply because I am not Black! 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,” Elon Musk fumed.
South Africa won’t allow Starlink to be licensed, even though I was BORN THERE, simply because I am not Black!
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.… https://t.co/m6G1ZQcC1C
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 12, 2026
Musk grew up in apartheid in Johannesburg in 1971 in a wealthy white family that benefited directly from the system that brutalized Black people for decades.
While Black townships were revolting in the 1980s and the government imposed a state of emergency, Musk was living safely in leafy white suburbs, attending all-white schools, completely shielded from the oppression happening outside his gated world.
His father, Errol, has expressed nostalgia for apartheid, saying on record that “it was a good time, because we had no crime.”
That’s the context in which Musk’s complaint exists. South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment framework wasn’t created to discriminate against white people.
It was designed to address centuries of economic inequality created by colonialism and apartheid, requiring telecommunications companies to give 30% equity to historically disadvantaged groups.
According to Reuters, South Africa’s Communications Minister Solly Malatsi made it clear in May 2025 that the country isn’t watering down these laws for anybody.
“Transformation is sacrosanct in our country,” he said. “It’s a non-negotiable.”
Meanwhile, Musk’s X platform has become a haven for racist content since he took over.
Studies show hate speech on X increased 50% after his purchase, and when organizations tried documenting the racist material, Musk sued them.
A federal judge dismissed his case as “vapid.”
Musk’s been pushing false narratives about white South African persecution while allowing actual racism to flourish on his platform, and now he’s using his influence with Trump to pressure South Africa into exempting him from the same transformation laws that apply to every other company.
“Racism should not be rewarded no matter to which race it is applied. Shame on the racist politicians in South Africa. They should be shown no respect whatsoever anywhere in the world and shunned for being unashamedly RACISTS,” Musk said.
Elon Musk’s bro, President Donald Trump, signed an executive order in February 2025, accusing South Africa of “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners and cutting aid to the country, which receives 17% of its HIV/AIDS budget from the US.
As reported by The Guardian, Musk’s childhood in apartheid South Africa shaped his current worldview, and his attacks on the country’s transformation efforts are tied directly to his business interests in getting Starlink licensed without meeting the same requirements as everyone else.
