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If Government can relax B-BBEE red tape for Starlink, why not for South African businesses?

Build One South Africa (BOSA) expresses concern at the sudden policy shift announced on Friday, following the gazetting of relaxed B-BBEE licensing requirements for satellite service companies. This impulsive move appears tailored to pave the way for Elon Musk’s Starlink to enter the South African market under conditions favourable to them, and not the country.

This decision comes just 48 hours after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, raising serious questions about the influence of international pressure on domestic policymaking. It sets a dangerous precedent that with the right amount of leverage, South Africa’s laws can be bent.

BOSA calls on the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, to make public the record of decision in this matter, so as to assure the people of South Africa that this was not a back door deal.

BOSA Deputy Leader, Nobuntu Hlazo-Webster MP, said:

“This is not transformation, it’s capitulation. The message being sent is that if you are a powerful foreign billionaire, you can sidestep South Africa’s laws, while our local businesses are forced to jump through hoops.”

“What begins with special concessions, ends in state capture,” Hlazo-Webster warned. “

BOSA advocates for competition and innovation, especially in the telecommunications and digital space, where expanded access is essential. However, we reject any notion that local businesses must be held to one standard, while foreign-owned giants operate under another.

If the government can show flexibility for foreign entrants, then it must do the same, urgently, for South African businesses.

We must reform the way we do redress, with a system that truly empowers black South Africans by removing the barriers to doing business, expanding access to markets, cutting compliance costs, and driving real inclusion. Now is the time.

Media Enquiries:
Roger Solomons – BOSA Acting Spokesperson – 072 299 3551
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