Professor Thuli Madonsela Hits Back After Elon Musk Accuses South Africa of Having Racist Laws

Published 13 Apr 2026 at 9:36 AM

by Tebogo Mokwena

3 min read

Former Public Protector Professor Thuli Madonsela hit back against tech billionaire Elon Musk after he berated South Africa in a series of tweets
Musk reshared a tweet from a social media user who said South Africa replaced one racist system with another
Madonsela accused Musk of spreading disinformation on X, and her response to Musk elicited a variety of comments

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Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, legislation, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

Former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela refuted Elon Musk's allegations that South Africa has race-based laws — Thuli Madonsela has hit back at Elon Musk's racism allegations. Images: @ThuliMadonsela3/ X and Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images
Source: UGC

GAUTENG— Former Public Protector Professor Thuli Madonsela accused tech billionaire Elon Musk of spreading disinformation after he posted a series of tweets reiterating the accusation that South Africa is a racist country with racist laws.

Madonsela hit back at Musk on her @ThuliMadonsela3 X account on 12 April 2026. Musk reposted a tweet from a social media user on his @elonmusk X account. The user alleged that South Africa replaced one racialised system with another, and this caused a stagnant economy. The user, @amuse, added that race is central to economic rules in South Africa. He further alleged that racism was evident in the South African government’s refusal to grant Musk’s Starlink an operating license for noncompliance with the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment legislative framework.

Madonsela calls Musk out

Madonsela was not pleased with Musk’s position. In a strongly worded response, Madonsela said it was improper for Musk to use his platform to spread disinformation. She added that Grok understands and recommends restitutive measures to address structural disadvantages as a result of past legalised discrimination. She defended BBBEE and added that BBBEE laws equally apply to black companies, including Royal Bafokeng.

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Read the response on X here:

What did Musk say?

In tweets he posted on the same day, Musk reiterated that South Africa would not allow Starlink to be licensed because he is not black. In one tweet, he alleged that Starlink was offered the opportunity to bribe its way to a license by pretending that a black man runs Starlink SA. Musk also shared other tweets alleging that the South African government is racist throughout the day.

Billionaire Elon Musk alleged that he could not operate Starlink in South Africa because of his race — Elon Musk reiterated that South Africa's laws are racist. Image: Fabrice Coffrini/ AFP
Source: Getty Images

Elon Musk’s previous “racist” accusations

Does SA have racist laws?

The widespread claim that South Africa has racist laws has caused debate since it was made by the Institute of Race Relations. News24’s Fact Check Desk reported that many of the laws cited as racist do not assign rights, obligations, or benefits based on race. These include the Employment Equity Act, the National Qualifications Framework Act, and the Housing Act, among others.

Elon Musk challenges BEE laws

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Musk questioned the BBBEE laws in an interview where he said the country’s laws are racist. Musk is critical of BBBEE laws as he views them as a stumbling block for establishing Starlink in South Africa.