Public Interest SA Petitions Parliament Over Starlink Exemption Proposals

MEDIA STATEMENT

Johannesburg, Sunday, 25 May 2025 - Public Interest SA has today formally written to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Communications, Khusela Sangoni, to request an opportunity to make a formal submission to Parliament opposing the recent proposal by the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, to exempt multinational satellite operator Starlink from compliance with South Africa’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) requirements applicable to the telecommunications sub-sector of the Information Communication Technology sector.

In the letter to Sangoni, Public Interest SA expresses deep concern over what it describes as procedurally flawed and legally questionable actions by the Minister. The organisation argues that the proposal is made without furnishing empirical evidence and appears to overstep ministerial authority, given that the legal and administrative custodianship of B-BBEE policy lies with the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition,  Parks Tau.

“The proposal to exempt Starlink sets a dangerous precedent. It signals a willingness to bypass South Africa’s legislative frameworks for the benefit of a foreign multinational owned by a US tech oligarch while marginalising local empowerment imperatives. Indeed, the zeal to fast-track these extraordinary legislative exemptions echoes the swiftness last seen during the rushed dismantling of the Scorpions — raising concerns about motive and process,” said Tebogo Khaas, chairperson of Public Interest SA.

The organisation is calling on Parliament to urgently assert its oversight role and ensure that decisions impacting transformation policy are taken transparently, lawfully, and in a manner that is consistent with South Africa’s national development priorities.

Public Interest SA further cautions that granting exemptions without a clear legal and policy basis risks eroding the integrity of transformation instruments, weakening competition, and entrenching structural inequalities in the communications and digital economy.

In its forthcoming submission, Public Interest SA will:

• Contest the legitimacy and policy rationale of the proposed exemption;

  Critique the continued use of Equity Equivalent Programmes as a superficial substitute for genuine empowerment; and

  
  

• Emphasise the need for policy coherence and inter-ministerial alignment

  Offer constructive recommendations on balancing foreign investment attraction with transformational equity particulalry in the telecommunications sector.

Public Interest SA reiterates its commitment to working collaboratively with Parliament, civil society, business, and government to safeguard inclusive economic development and ensure that South Africa’s digital future is both innovative and equitable.

ENDS