By Ross Moyo
There is now a confirmed positive trajectory allowing World’s richest man Elon Musk to finally have his way in running Starlink in his country of birth following South Africa’s richest man Johann Rupert plea to the powers that be stating, “We need Starlink in South Africa.” This after Rupert was amongst several members of SA President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delegation, including Opposition Democratic Alliance DA leader Steenhuisen, who allayed US President Donald Trump’s fears that there is a white farmer genocide in the Southern African country who with Ramaphosa’s team explained that South Africa has a violent crime problem that cuts across racial lines which has nothings to do with an anti-white genocide.
Rather than getting embroiled in a debate about misinformation, disinformation, and the definition of genocide, team SA focused on solutions as Rupert backed a comment from Ramaphosa to Trump that South Africa needs U.S. technology to help combat the scourge of violent crime.
The South African billionaire specifically pointed to Elon Musk, who was also in the room, and said that Starlink was one of those technologies.
“We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones. I actually got drones donated for the Peace Parks to stop elephant and rhino poaching,” Rupert said.
“His predecessor stopped the importation because he said the United States would spy on us,” he added, referring to former President Jacob Zuma.
Rupert struck a pleading tone and brought up common history that he and Trump shared.
“If you can help us… Remember, sir, you and I lived in New York in the 70s,” he said.
“We never thought New York would be what it became. Two commissioners, a tough mayor…”
Seen as the power behind Ramaphosa’s policies by some quarters, Billionaire Johann Rupert told the U.S. President that South Africa needs satellite broadband service Starlink.
The business mogul spoke at the much anticipated public broadcast meeting between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Trump in the White House.
Earlier Trump had said that Rupert and South African golfing champions Ernie Els and Retief Goosen asked to be at the meeting and joined Ramaphosa’s delegation, which also included state security minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, and foreign affairs minister Ronald Lamola.
The US leader asked Rupert to speak towards the end of the meeting after the U.S. President fielded questions about his allegations that a genocide of white farmers was happening in South Africa where he also played a video showing several minority party members making remarks about confiscating land from white farmers, and Julius Malema singing “Kill the Boer”.
Trump’s videos also included a flyover of a place where people reportedly plant crosses to memorialise those who were killed in farm attacks.
If yesterdays meeting is anything to go by deemed a success by South Africa’s government, then Ramaphosa’s government could cement cordially an offer to Elon Musk a workaround of local Black ownership laws for his Starlink internet service to operate in the country, aiming to ease tensions with both the billionaire and US President Donald Trump meant to defuse the onslaught of criticism by Musk and Trump who both had initially spread the conspiracy theory that there’s a genocide against White people in Africa’s most-industrialized nation until last night’s Ramaphosa’s visit to the White House.
The alternative to so-called Black Economic Empowerment laws that in some cases require 30% Black ownership is not specific to Starlink and Musk, was the view held apparent in the meeting between the two leaders and their delegation.
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