Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi has been summoned to explain himself to parliament after issuing a controversial gazette exempting Elon Musk from complying with the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment laws.
In terms of the gazette, that followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to the US where he met President Donald Trump and his aides including Musk (now a civil servant in that country) Musk’s Starlink satellite will not have to cede 30 percent shareholding to a local player. Musk has been leading a misinformation campaign against South Africa falsely alleging that among others a white genocide was underway along with the so-called race based laws that he and the DA have claimed were being passed in South Africa to the detriment of whites.
The chairperson of parliament’s portfolio committee on communications Khusela Diko said the gazette appears to be in contravention of the law and meant to benefit a particular company.
“The committee has invited Minister Solly Malatsi and the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to appear before the committee and brief on the recently gazetted policy directions that appear to be in contravention of the Electronic Communications Act and in favour of low earth orbit satellite provider SpaceX,” said Diko.
On Friday, Minister Malatsi announced, through a media statement, the gazetting of the proposed policy direction to the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on Equity Equivalent Investment Programmes (EEIP) in the ICT sector.
Section 9 (2) (b) of the Electronic Communication Act (ECA) 36 of 2005, said Diko, provides the legislative framework on the application for and granting of individual licences in the ICT sector and mandates ICASA to regulate historically disadvantaged groups’ equity requirement at no less than 30%.
Malatsi’s appearance before the committee is scheduled for tuesday morning but it remains to be seen if Diko won’t be pressured by her seniors in the ANC to let it go as such a session may be a platform for the official opposition uMkhonto weSizwe, the EFF and ATM to rubbish the concession being made by the government.
The three parties have slammed the minister accusing him of selling out the country to Musk with MK calling for a parliamentary sitting to interrogate him.
Malatsi, a DA member has had policy differences with his differences with his deputy Mondli Gungubele.
Diko meanwhile has avoided questions on the nature saying she would allow the committee to deliberate on the matter first.
“The Chairperson of the Committee, Ms Khusela Sangoni Diko, respectfully declines interview requests on this matter until the collective wisdom of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has been expressed,” she said in a statement.