South Africa is courting investment from Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, despite his recent claims that the country’s government enforces racist laws.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has engaged with Musk to explore potential investment opportunities, particularly in his satellite internet service, Starlink.
Starlink provides web access to remote areas and is already available in 17 African countries.
However, its launch in South Africa has been delayed due to the country’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) regulations, which aim to address racial disparities stemming from apartheid.
Musk and Ramaphosa previously met in September and spoke again by telephone on Tuesday.
Their conversation followed Musk’s accusations on his social media platform X that Ramaphosa’s government enforces “openly racist ownership laws.”
Ramaphosa addressed these concerns and also pushed back against what he called “disinformation” spread by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to cut funding to South Africa over its land expropriation policies.
