Who and what is AfriForum?

AfriForum is an Afrikaans civil rights organisation that protects the rights of minority groups at national as well as provincial level, and anyone who can identify with AfriForum’s principles and objectives may join the organisation. AfriForum’s community plan focuses on mobilising communities to thus take control of their own streets and neighbourhoods again. AfriForum ensures that your constitutional and civil rights are recognised and protected at national level.

Wie en wat is AfriForum?

AfriForum is ’n Afrikaanse burgerregteorganisasie wat die regte van minderheidsgroepe op sowel nasionale as provinsiale vlak beskerm, en enigiemand wat met AfriForum se beginsels en doelstellings kan identifiseer, mag by die organisasie aansluit. AfriForum se gemeenskapsplan fokus daarop om gemeenskappe te mobiliseer om só weer beheer terug te neem oor hul eie strate en woonbuurtes. AfriForum verseker dat jou grondwetlike én burgerregte op nasionale vlak erken en beskerm word.

Government chooses race policy over the interests of ordinary people, says AfriForum, following rejection of Starlink proposal

Soundbite: Louis Boshoff

AfriForum maintains that the South African government must set aside its obsession with race, prioritise the interests of schoolchildren, and accept SpaceX’s offer to provide free internet connectivity to 5 000 rural schools in the country. This offer, made by the parent company of the internet service provider Starlink more than a year ago, was conditional on Starlink being granted access to the local market. Despite this offer, the government remains unwilling to waive rigid requirements, which include a stipulation that at least 30% of the licence-holder company must be owned by black people, which can legally include, among others, youths or people with disabilities.

In June 2025, in a letter to Parks Tau, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, SpaceX proposed the launch of an Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) in South Africa. The letter noted that such programmes have already been implemented across various sectors in South Africa and that companies like Microsoft and Amazon already rely on EEIPs to meet local ownership obligations.

As part of such a programme, Starlink offered to provide free internet access to more than 5 000 rural schools – nearly half of all rural schools in the country. Both the Department and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) rejected this offer and have since maintained their position. Meanwhile, efforts by American diplomats to broker an agreement have also been ignored.

Louis Boshoff, AfriForum Spokesperson, believes that the ANC-led government is so obsessed with race that it is willing to make decisions to the detriment of the country’s residents, because it harbours an ideological grudge against a particular white businessman. Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, is known for his condemnation of the South African government’s race obsession and his refusal to comply with racially discriminatory requirements in order to gain access to a particular market.

“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,” explains Boshoff. “The 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. That is the sole factor that drove their decision, not common sense or moral values.”

AfriForum warns that such ideologically driven decisions jeopardise the continuation of tariff-free trade with the US. The civil rights organisation further argues that granting the necessary licence to Starlink, to introduce this internet service in South Africa, should be considered part of the solution to the diplomatic crisis with the US.

According to Boshoff, the denial of access to Starlink is one element of the current diplomatic crisis with the US. “The US government’s proposals offer mutual benefits for both South Africa and the US. Yet, the ANC rejects them purely on ideological grounds,” concludes Boshoff.