![\"Why](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/invezz:2d6e9a297094b-8f8945444ebb83d6a07000c581d3a56a-resized.webp.webp\")
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South Africa\u2019s efforts to expand satellite internet access, with Starlink at the centre of the debate, are facing mounting political resistance. <\/p>\n
Lawmakers are pushing back against a proposed shift in telecom ownership rules that could allow foreign satellite providers to operate without local equity participation, reports Bloomberg. <\/p>\n
The dispute has reopened sensitive questions around economic redress, executive authority, and the balance between attracting global technology firms and protecting empowerment laws rooted in the country\u2019s post-apartheid framework. <\/p>\n
What began as a regulatory adjustment has now escalated into a parliamentary and political standoff.<\/p>\n
Policy shift triggers parliamentary pushback<\/p>\n
The controversy stems from a policy directive issued last week by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi.<\/p>\n
The directive asks the telecoms regulator to amend its licensing framework so that equity-equivalent investment programmes can count toward empowerment requirements. <\/p>\n
This would replace the current insistence on a 30% local Black ownership stake for telecom operators.<\/p>\n
Malatsi said the proposal followed a public consultation in which around 90% of submissions supported the change. <\/p>\n
The minister has framed the move as a way to modernise regulation and encourage investment in digital infrastructure.<\/p>\n
However, the parliamentary portfolio committee overseeing the telecom sector has called for the directive to be withdrawn, arguing that such a fundamental change cannot be made through executive notice alone.<\/p>\n
Starlink\u2019s market entry at stake<\/p>\n
The proposed amendments would directly affect satellite internet providers, most notably Starlink, which is owned by SpaceX. <\/p>\n
Starlink has so far been unable to operate in South Africa because it does not meet the country\u2019s ownership requirements.<\/p>\n
Elon Musk, who was born in Pretoria, has refused to cede equity in SpaceX to comply with the rules. <\/p>\n
He has criticised South Africa\u2019s ownership framework, which was introduced to address economic exclusion created under apartheid.<\/p>\n
If the regulator adopts Malatsi\u2019s proposed changes, Starlink would be able to offer its services in the country without altering its ownership structure.<\/p>\n
Supporters of the shift argue that allowing Starlink to operate could improve connectivity, particularly in remote and underserved areas. <\/p>\n
Critics counter that the issue goes beyond internet access and strikes at the heart of empowerment policy.<\/p>\n
Authority and legal concerns raised<\/p>\n
According to Bloomberg, Khusela Sangoni Diko, chair of the parliamentary portfolio committee on communications and digital technologies, has challenged both the substance and process of the directive. <\/p>\n
She has argued that the minister lacks the legislative authority to alter empowerment requirements unilaterally.<\/p>\n
The committee has warned that the directive risks obscuring existing law and effectively sidestepping the mandatory ownership threshold for historically disadvantaged groups. <\/p>\n
It has described the move as a threat to the principles of equity and redress that underpin South Africa\u2019s democratic transition. <\/p>\n
The committee is expected to convene in the new year to formally consider the issue.<\/p>\n
Coalition divisions deepen<\/p>\n
The dispute has also highlighted fault lines within South Africa\u2019s coalition government. <\/p>\n
Malatsi is a member of the Democratic Alliance, while the African National Congress remains a strong defender of strict ownership-based empowerment rules.<\/p>\n
Differences over economic transformation have long divided the two parties, and the Starlink debate has sharpened those divisions.<\/p>\n
As parliamentary scrutiny intensifies, the outcome will influence not only Starlink\u2019s prospects in South Africa but also how the country navigates the tension between digital expansion and economic redress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s efforts to expand satellite internet access, with Starlink at the centre of the debate, are facing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[61,60,82,247],"class_list":{"0":"post-192723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-ie","9":"tag-ireland","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}