Access to broadband and the internet should be treated as a right. Yet outdated policies and regulations continue to limit South Africans access to affordable broadband, particularly satellite-based services that could rapidly expand connectivity in underserved areas.
In a recent Government Gazette, the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, placed his stamp on one of the most contentious issues in South Africas ICT sector: how black economic empowerment requirements are applied to foreign communications providers, such as Elon Musks Starlink, that cannot, or will not, dilute ownership in their local operations.
In a final policy directive published on Friday, 12 December 2025, Malatsi instructed ICASA to urgently align its ownership regulations with the ICT BEE sector code. This includes formal recognition of equity equivalent investment programmes EEIPs, which are already lawful under the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act and administered by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition DTIC. A draft EEIP framework was published for public comment more than six months ago.
