Billionaire and owner of X Elon Musk claimed on Friday that his Starlink internet service is not allowed in South Africa because he "is not black", a claim South African officials quickly rejected. 

Musk, who is South African, made his comments reacting to a podcast featuring South African businessman Rob Hersov, who claimed that “race-based laws in South Africa are all anti-white,” adding that Johannesburg has been “infected… with an evil woke mind virus.”

"Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not black,” Musk wrote on X, a claim South African diplomatic spokesperson quickly rejected saying “Sir, that’s NOT true and you know it! It’s got nothing to do with your skin color," emphasizing that Starlink is welcome in the country “provided there’s compliance with local laws.”

Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa, because I’m not black https://t.co/yOFafNValQ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2025

South African regulations, designed to address racial inequalities from the Apartheid era, mandate that foreign telecom firms be at least 30% owned by historically disadvantaged groups, while Starlink, a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX, does not offer publicly traded shares.

Trump cuts aid from South Africa

The US State Department ordered an immediate halt to most foreign assistance to South Africa on March 7, implementing a controversial executive order by US President Donald Trump to cut South Africa aid, allegedly over its land policies, but was understood by many to have been brought on by its ICJ case against "Israel".

According to US government data, Johannesburg received around $440 million in financial assistance from Washington in 2023, which the new executive order cut, citing "unjust racial discrimination" against white Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers who established the apartheid regime and withheld basic rights from the Black majority until 1994.

The US administration's stance against South Africa is largely seen as influenced by Elon Musk, who has repeatedly condemned his birthplace, claiming that its apartheid reparation laws are "openly racist policies".

"South Africa is confiscating land, and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY. It is a bad situation that the Radical Left Media doesn’t want to so much as mention. A massive Human Rights VIOLATION, at a minimum, is happening for all to see," Trump said on February 2 on his Truth Social Platform.

The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa quickly answered Trump, "We look forward to engaging with the Trump administration over our land reform policy and issues of bilateral interest. We are certain that out of those engagements, we will share a better and common understanding over these matters."