Nigeria, March 7 -- Elon Musk has stated that Starlink is not permitted to operate in South Africa because he is not Black.

His comment, made on his social media platform, has sparked fresh debate about the country's economic policies and regulations on foreign businesses.

Starlink, a satellite internet service operated by Musk's company SpaceX, has expanded to 17 African nations, including neighboring countries like Namibia, Mozambique, and Botswana.

However, South Africa, the continent's biggest economy, remains excluded due to its Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) regulations.

These regulations require that companies in the telecommunications sector must have at least 30% ownership by historically disadvantaged groups to be eligible...