Why Starlink Is Dividing South Africa

Starlink, SpaceX’s Satellite Internet Service is pushing for changes to South Africa’s equality rules which it says blocks the company from operating in Africa’s most industrialised economy.  

South Africa requires companies in some sectors to have at least 30% Black ownership. These laws were introduced after the end of apartheid and they compelled companies in industries including banking, mining and telecommunications to sell stakes to Black people who were systematically excluded from the economy during White-minority rule, but now the governing coalition is split on whether to change this law. 

On this week’s episode - Jennifer Zabasajja is joined by Bloomberg’s Senior Technology Reporter Loni Prinsloo and reporter Rivaldo Jantjies, on how Starlink has been growing across Africa, why South Africa is so important to the company, and how likely it is that rules could change.

Read our latest reporting on Starlink and South Africa here, and for more stories from the region subscribe to the Next Africa newsletter here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.