Overview

• The draft would lower the 30% Black ownership threshold that foreign tech firms must meet to secure operating licenses, simplifying entry for new competitors
• Communications Minister Solly Malatsi insisted the policy applies to all tech companies and noted work on the changes began last September
• Opposition lawmakers challenged the timing, warning the move could weaken South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment mandate and favour Elon Musk’s Starlink
• Malatsi highlighted that the proposal was conceived before President Cyril Ramaphosa’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and is not a response to that visit
• Industry players, civil society groups and members of the public have been granted a 30-day window to submit feedback before the framework is finalized