The ANC has sharply criticised a government gazette issued by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi, which directs the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) to relax regulatory requirements in a move the party says is designed to favour Elon Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink.
The criticism comes despite Malatsi’s assertion that the draft policy attracted more than 19,000 public submissions. The ANC has cast doubt on the credibility and verification of those submissions.
“How were those submissions counted? Were they independently verified? Do they genuinely reflect broad public support, or merely the views of a limited, possibly organised group?” ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu asked.
Bhengu also accused the DA minister of attempting to bypass Parliament, warning that such actions undermine South Africa’s constitutional processes.
“The ANC stresses that no minister may amend or suspend legislation through a policy directive,” she said. “Laws such as the Electronic Communications Act, the Postal Services Act, the ICASA Act and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act can only be amended by Parliament following proper public participation.”
Malatsi’s move comes amid strained diplomatic relations between South Africa and the United States, during a period in which Musk has been accused of playing a role in spreading disinformation about the country. The proposed launch of Starlink in South Africa has already drawn opposition from several stakeholders.
Bhengu said the ANC is particularly concerned about directives that would compel ICASA to act beyond its statutory mandate, describing this as a direct threat to South Africa’s digital sovereignty and national security.
She concluded by calling on ICASA to uphold its independence and urged urgent intervention by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies to hold the minister accountable and to probe the legality of the government gazette.
