Will Elon Musk finally succeed in launching Starlink in South Africa? The satellite-based internet system has been rolling out on the African continent for two years but the SpaceX boss, a native of Pretoria, is still struggling to obtain a license for it in his home country. These efforts are hampered by the so-called "Black Economic Empowerment" regulation, which requires telecom companies to open up at least 30% of their capital to shareholders from historically disadvantaged groups.

An arrangement was beginning to take shape, with the South African president expressing his wish to see the billionaire "invest more" in the country. But talks came to an abrupt halt in early February. The issue: the attacks launched by the tech tycoon and by the man for whom he has become one of his most loyal spokesmen, US President Donald Trump, against a South African law, enacted in January, accused of "confiscating" land from white farmers.

In its own way, the sequence sums up the mixture of attraction and resistance that the "disruptive" entrepreneur, now placed at the heart of American power, arouses on the continent. After Asia, Africa is the region of the world where Starlink is least available. But since its launch in Nigeria in early 2023, the service has grown rapidly. Today, it is active in 19 out of 54 African countries, according to the company, and more than 15 openings are planned for 2025.

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