Bloomberg News says that South Africa will offer Musk a deal for Starlink before their meeting with Trump

The government of South Africa is reportedly considering a solution to local Black ownership laws to allow Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service to function within the country, according to a Tuesday report by Bloomberg News, which cites three individuals knowledgeable about the talks.

A “last-minute” meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night between South African officials and Musk or his representatives, according to Bloomberg.

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, accompanied by a group of government officials, arrived in Washington on Monday to seek a renewal of the strained relationship with the United States.

Ramaphosa is set to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday. On Monday, the spokesperson for the South African leader informed Reuters that the licensing for Starlink would be a topic of discussion during the visit to Washington.

Musk, originally from South Africa, has previously asserted that Starlink was prevented from operating in South Africa due to his race, a claim that South African officials have denied. In March, South Africa’s telecoms regulator stated that Starlink had not submitted an application for a licence.

Musk’s statement seemed to target local Black Economic Empowerment regulations, which mandate that foreign-owned telecommunications licensees must sell 30% of the equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups.

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi stated last year that he was developing a draft policy directive to acknowledge “equity equivalent” investment programmes within the communications sector.

“This will ensure the confidence needed to draw in more investment in ICT and speed up universal internet access,” he stated in October.

Equity equivalents, acknowledged in various sectors, represent investments made by multinationals instead of a direct equity sale when global practices inhibit such transactions. Investments of this nature encompass the enhancement of skills development, the improvement of infrastructure, or the support of small enterprise development.

The communications department and Ramaphosa’s office were unavailable for comment at this time.