BOSA demands written response from President after failure to answer parliamentary question on Starlink and B-BBEE

Build One South Africa (BOSA) will write to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, to demand a written response from President Cyril Ramaphosa, following his clear failure to answer an oral question posed by BOSA Leader, Mmusi Maimane, during the oral questions session in Parliament.

The question was direct: Will the exemption or relaxation of B-BBEE regulations that opens the door for Starlink to operate in South Africa apply equally to South African-owned companies in the ICT sector?

Instead of providing a clear and relevant answer, the President avoided the substance of the question entirely, instead offering a general commentary on redress that failed to address the core issue of equal treatment and economic fairness for South African businesses.

We are of the view this constitutes a direct contravention of the Executive’s constitutional responsibility to account to Parliament.

According to established parliamentary practice and the discretion afforded to the Speaker:

• When the President refuses or fails to answer a question, the matter can be ruled upon by the Speaker;
• The Speaker may order a written supplementary reply, refer the matter to the Leader of Government Business, or permit a Member to raise a Point of Order or Privilege, especially where such refusal undermines the President’s obligation to be accountable to the House.

BOSA affirms that if Members of Parliament can be ruled out of order for asking questions that stray from the original topic, then the President, too, must be held to the same standard.

A response must relate to the question posed. Otherwise, accountability is reduced to a performance, and not a meaningful democratic exercise.

BOSA has therefore formally requested the Speaker to:

1. Instruct the President to submit a written reply to the question posed by Mr. Maimane within the next 48 hours;
2. Uphold the principle of executive accountability and ensure that the President does not set a dangerous precedent of evasive non-answers in future sittings.

South Africans deserve clarity on whether government policy is being applied fairly and consistently, or whether multinational corporations are being favoured over local businesses. The President must answer