South African Presidency tells Elon Musk to 'move on' amid Starlink bribery claims

The South African Presidency has advised Elon Musk to focus on other markets, following his claims that Starlink was denied a license in the country because he is not black and that he refused bribery offers. Musk has repeatedly stated on X that Starlink was barred from operating in South Africa due to his race, an allegation dismissed by South African officials. He claimed Starlink was offered opportunities to bribe its way to a license by pretending a black person ran the local entity, which he refused on principle. Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya suggested Musk explore the 192 other UN member states. Head of Diplomacy Clayson Monyela denied any bribery requests from the South African government, emphasizing that companies must comply with the law. The Land Party has called for President Cyril Ramaphosa to investigate Musk's bribery and extortion claims, urging a probe by the Madlanga Commission. They also demanded investigations into all foreign companies in South Africa, including Amazon, to ensure compliance with local laws and transparency regarding Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment B-BBEE partners. SpaceX has not applied for a Starlink license in South Africa because the Electronic Communications Act requires license holders to be at least 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups, a provision the company opposes.