South Africa eases affirmative action regulations on Starlink and others that Musk said were racist

CAPE TOWN South Africa AP South Africa s communications minister ordered a approach change Friday that allows Elon Musk s Starlink and other foreign-owned satellite internet providers to operate in the country without selling of their local equity to Black or other non-white owners The program change published in a regime gazette allows foreign companies seeking licenses to operate in South Africa s communications sector to instead invest in equity equivalent programs to meet affirmative action criteria like skills training or other means of supporting previously disadvantaged groups Related Articles Russian police and National Guard will stay in Ukraine s Donbas postwar a Kremlin official says Hunger and makeshift shelters persist in north Caribbean nearly months after Hurricane Melissa Germany summons Russian ambassador over alleged sabotage cyberattacks and referendum interference Watch Skydiver dangles at feet after parachute catches on plane s tail in Australia Russian lugers plan to race in Lake Placid next week Ukrainian sliders say it shouldn t be allowed That option is also available for foreign-owned companies in other sectors in South Africa Musk who was born in South Africa accused his home country of having openly racist ownership laws by requiring at least local ownership by Black or other races that were denied opportunities under South Africa s apartheid system of white minority rule The world s richest man posted on social media in March that Starlink wasn t allowed to operate in South Africa because I m not black U S President Donald Trump has also targeted South Africa for criticism over its affirmative action regulations and other policies that he has cast as antiwhite South Africa s affirmative action policies known as Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment are a cornerstone of its efforts to redress the inequalities of apartheid though critics have disclosed they are a barrier to foreign assets Starlink which is a subsidiary of Musk s SpaceX says it already offers its low-orbit satellite internet in more than a dozen African countries including the majority of South Africa s neighbors South African Communications Minister Solly Malatsi revealed in his new strategy directive that Starlink could help his nation accelerate high-speed internet access for rural and underserved communities