EFF Slams Cyril Ramaphosa’s Alleged Starlink Deal With Elon Musk

• The Economic Freedom Fighters have slammed President Cyril Ramaphosa for the deal he allegedly intends to strike with billionaire Elon Musk
• Media reports suggest that Ramaphosa is expected to give a workaround deal to introduce Starlink to South Africa
• The Red Berets said Ramaohosa's alleged deal is illegal, and South Africans agreed with the party

Tebogo Mokwena, affiliated with Briefly News, covered local and international relations, political analysis, and interviews in South Africa for Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News during his 10 years of experience.

JOHANNESBURG — The Economic Freedom fighters (EFF) criticised President Cyril Ramaphosa's alleged intent to offer tech billionaire Elon Musk a deal to introduce Starlink in south Africa.

What EFF said about Ramaphosa and Starlink

In a statement, the party shared on its @EFFSouthAfrica X account, the party condemned the reports that Ramaphosa is expected to give Musk a tailor-made deal for him to operate Starlink in the country. The party called the move unconstitutional. The EFF said that this move was part of Ramaphosa's broader campaign to garner favour from the Trump administration.

The Red Berets said that Ramaphosa does not have the power to guarantee access to the country's telecommunications sector and bypass Black Economic Empowerment laws.

The party said it will oppose the Starlink deal in Parliament and the courts if necessary. Starlink, it said, threatens South Africa's national security and is owned by someone who has in the past contributed to the growing conspiracy of white genocide.

The EFF added that the alleged move is unconstitutional,and accused Ramaphosa of being willing to compromise on our sovereignty to massage the inflated ego of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.

It further questioned why Musk wants his company to operate in a country he believes is perpetrating genocide against the Afrikaners.

Read the X statement here:

What you need to know about Starlink

Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly rejected Musk's Starlink after Musk accused the government of enacting race-based laws to the exclusion of Afrikaner people. He also said that the country's BEE laws excluded him from doing business in the country.

Elon Musk said that the reason why he could not get a deal to operate Starlink in the country was his race. He believed that the government excluded him from introducing Starlink to the country because he was white.

What did South Africans say?

South Africans roasted Ramaphosa.

Chris van Kaap said:

"Starlink will be coming to SA, whether you like it or not."

Goolam said:

"You're just trying to stay relevant. You are finished."

Lorraine said:

"So the EFF is throwing a tantrum because Elon Musk might help connect rural South Africans to the internet without asking BEE permission first."

Steezy said:

"You are stopping your people from having the internet for no cost."

Isaac M. M said:

"We need Starlink. We will ignore the EFF's statement."

Lesotho approves Starlink's operating license

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Lesotho granted Starlink a licence to operate in the mountainous country. This was after Trump implemented 50% tariffs on the country.

The country's foreign minister, Lejone Mpotjane, said the deal must not be conflated with the country being hit with tariffs. South Africans on social media weighed in on the deal.

Source: Briefly News