AfriForum this weekend called on the government to accept an offer by SpaceX to connect rural schools to free internet, saying the state had rejected it rather than relax a rule that 30% of a licence-holding company be owned by black people.

According to the organisation’s statement, SpaceX, the parent company of the satellite internet service Starlink, wrote to Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Parks Tau in June 2025 proposing an Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP), an alternative to selling shares that AfriForum says “companies like Microsoft and Amazon already rely on” to meet local ownership obligations. Under that programme, AfriForum says, “Starlink offered to provide free internet access to more than 5 000 rural schools – nearly half of all rural schools in the country”, on condition that it was allowed into the South African market.

“Both the Department and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa [ICASA] rejected this offer and have since maintained their position,” the statement says. “Meanwhile, efforts by American diplomats to broker an agreement have also been ignored.”

AfriForum spokesperson Louis Boshoff attributed the refusal to hostility towards SpaceX founder Elon Musk. “Providing free internet access to rural schools would benefit predominantly poor, black children. In contrast, a 30% black ownership stake in Starlink would benefit only a small group of businesspeople. It is therefore clear that the government prioritises the interests of the elite over those of the poorest segments of society,” he said, adding: “The [African National Congress] ANC-led government is infatuated with black ‘tenderpreneurs,’ shows no concern for rural schoolchildren, and harbours a hatred for principled businesspeople who believe in non-racialism.”

The organisation linked the matter to relations with the United States (US), warning that “such ideologically driven decisions jeopardise the continuation of tariff-free trade with the US”, and arguing that licensing Starlink “should be considered part of the solution to the diplomatic crisis with the US”. Boshoff said: “The US government’s proposals offer mutual benefits for both South Africa and the US, yet the ANC rejects them purely on ideological grounds.”