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Trump fails in bid to blindside Team SA as Starlink takes centre stage

Tebogo Khaas
By Tebogo Khaas
22 May 2025
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The South African delegation stood its ground with composure and resolve, confronting the mercurial leader of a waning global superpower.

If ever there was a voice that reverberated through the once-hallowed halls of the Oval Office, it was not one heard aloud, but one embodied in the formidable, albeit subdued, presence of Elon Musk.

A controversial figure both revered and reviled with equal fervour in South Africa, Musk — an all-powerful oligarch, owner of Starlink, and close ally of United States President Donald Trump — was present as Trump hosted President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday, 21 May 2025.

The meeting, seemingly out of sync with the published itinerary, commenced after a conspicuous delay — an apparent power play reminiscent of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s well-documented tendency to keep world leaders waiting as a demonstration of dominance.

When it finally began, the discussion centred on trade and investment, underscoring the long-standing cooperation between the two nations.

It was not long before the civility and exchange of pleasantries between the two leaders gave way to what many had either feared or, in some quarters, eagerly anticipated.

While social and mainstream media alike reacted with either outrage or glee — depending on ideological alignment — to Ramaphosa and his delegation being blindsided by Trump’s airing of the Kill the Boer clip and the accompanying misinformation aimed at reinforcing the discredited spectre of the “white genocide” narrative, it was another, more consequential ambush that caught my attention.

Endorsement of Starlink


That was the apparent anointment and de facto endorsement of Starlink, absent any formal sanction by the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa (Icasa) — the statutory regulator authorised to oversee telecommunications in South Africa.

As Africa’s richest man and part of the South African delegation, Johann Rupert — who is widely believed to have played a pivotal role in facilitating the meeting — appeared to promote Musk’s satellite internet enterprise Starlink to his fellow countrypeople and the global audience. The moment starkly exposed the evolving dynamics and intersection of power, diplomacy, and influence in our era.

While some may view this ostensible ultra vires anointment of Starlink by Rupert as a brazen attempt to usurp Icasa’s authority, the fact remains: we are a country governed by the rule of law — a principle that, ironically, Trump himself frequently appears to overlook, given his proclivity for issuing executive orders with little regard for their legal validity.

This thorny issue was brought into sharp focus during the subsequent press conference, when Ramaphosa was compelled to lay to rest any fears that special favours had been made to Musk.

Ramaphosa unequivocally stated that no special dispensation had been granted to Starlink. Like any business enterprise seeking to operate in South Africa, Starlink would be expected to adhere to applicable regulatory requirements and licensing processes governing the telecommunications sector.

In any event, and in the eyes of many, Starlink seemed to emerge as the diplomatic star and focus of the discussions on trade and investment. However, the satellite-based broadband system was astutely leveraged by members of the South African delegation as a potentially powerful tool in the fight against violent crime — particularly in remote rural farming areas and townships where internet access remains limited.

In doing so, the delegation not only elicited a fleeting smile of apparent approval from Trump, but also succeeded in reorienting the discourse. The spectre of the so-called “white genocide” narrative was, if only momentarily, overshadowed by a renewed emphasis on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the areas of crime prevention, trade, and investment.

In stark contrast to his more patriotic compatriot Ernie Els, fellow South African golfer Retief Goosen appeared to lend credence to the “swart gevaar” narrative. He lamented the difficulties his family faced living and farming in constant fear near the northern town of Polokwane in Limpopo.

While Rupert may have appeared to speak out of turn, we must not allow this to overshadow the substance. The integration of communication technologies including artificial intelligence into law enforcement was, in fact, one of the key resolutions adopted at the recent Policing Summit convened by the Ministry of Police and the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni.

Vital tool


As part of broader efforts to combat rampant crime, technology has become a vital tool in boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of policing.

Remarkably, Musk — uncharacteristically reserved — remained largely inconspicuous throughout the proceedings in the Oval Office which, under Trump, has been transformed into a stage for political spectacle, often used to publicly browbeat global leaders.

Yet, his business interests loomed so prominently that they featured in the remarks of Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau, who fielded questions and held the fort after Ramaphosa’s early departure from the media briefing.

In the final analysis, Tau reaffirmed the primacy of South Africa’s Constitution, sovereignty, centrality of the rule of law, and the imperative of advancing economic transformation — while underscoring the country’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for increased foreign direct investment.

While some in the South African media and commentariat anticipated Ramaphosa’s public humiliation at the hands of Trump and his acolytes, no moral capitulation or craven submission occurred.

Instead, the South African delegation stood its ground with composure and resolve, confronting the mercurial leader of a waning global superpower.

Trump’s predatory instincts and calculated attempt to blindside and ambush Ramaphosa ultimately failed to achieve their intended effect. DM

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