Just a bit of South African context. In South Africa, in order to get a telcoms licence, you have to comply with BB-BEE (Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment) requirements. Basically, you have to sell 30% (soon to be 51%) of your company to a local black owner. This is in addition to DEI requirements for employment.
For most businesses, these requirements are not mandatory to exist or operate, but gives you a bidding advantage for government contracts. For example, Microsoft, amazon and Temu can operate here, because they dont need any special licences. But for some sectors, companies need to aquire a license.
It can be argued that such legislation was necessary to incentivise business to diversify their employment and ownership to those previously excluded.
BUT, the way it is implemented, there is a huge emphasis on black ownership for various sectors. What will basically happen is a business needs to acquire a license from a government department. These licenses would only be granted if you give ownership of your company to the “appropriate” investor. Invariably someone connected to the government. They determine the price and basically get gifted portions of companies.
So what has basically happened is that this legislation only effective portion these days, is to enrich the politically connected.
So basically Elon is not wanting to pay the bribes necessary to get the required license to operate.
I Hate the buffoon, but on this he is correct.
I don’t think saying “because i’m not black” is the same as “i don’t want to pay the bribes that only enrich the political connected”. He seems to be only angry about the colour part, and not cronyism and nepotism. He’s twisting the truth, let’s not help justifying shit for him and make him happy.
Ohh do i mention he’s also the result of cronyism and nepotism? He have no right to criticise others.
I agree with you that he is being a racist asshole about it. He is emphasizing the race part of the legislation over the bribe part of it, because that is more politically useful to him.
It does not make the legislation less problematic. The ANC is begging the world to invest in the country, but not because that is what the country needs, but because it feeds the state mandated corruption.
Both parties are in the wrong here.
In what sense is he correct? It’s not because he’s not black, you’ve just cited the workaround—and it’s not like he’s a guy who takes a principled stand against nepotism. The idea of the state taking partial ownership of a company that is operating in their country also doesn’t give me too much pause, free trade is extractive—and I’m simply not sure that Elon Musk deserves that money more than someone in the South African government, lol
Of all the people who deserve money, corrupt politicians and lobbyists are the only two groups who deserve it less than people like musk
I don’t know that there are many white capitalists in South Africa who deserve their money more than any black individual living there
Black, white, doesn’t matter. He should however be dead.
Elon downvoted this twice.
He just drumming up his nazi base who have no idea of the multiple levels of irony.
Isn’t this stupid fuck FROM South Africa? The levels of shit here I swear to god.
He’s also an illegal immigrant who stayed on an expired visa.
He lies constantly to stir up shit with his base and enemies, something for us plebs to “discuss/argue about” while they distract from the grift. It’s part of the game to play the victim.
Our leadership is less than dog shit.
He says dumbass shit like this, then wonders why his Nazi salute was called a Nazi salute and not whatever excuse he gave.
Same shit for Trump, talks shit, then cries when someone points out he’s a fucking racist, rapist hypocrite.
Of course he is. His entire wealth is rooted in arapatheid. The irony of him claiming to be a victim of racism is so dissonant from reality that I genuinely struggle to find good words to describe it.
Lie. The word to describe it is lie.
Does this mean they won’t take him back now?
I don’t think you understand why he left. Just look up the timeline… apartheid had the writing on the wall. Racist muskrats mysteriously flee to Canada because “the blacks” might atain self governance. It’s like they don’t understand rational eugenics…
That’s why he wants to colonize Mars. Everyone here fucking hates him (or should).
Regulating your telecoms sector is WOKE!!!
Funny enough, I do believe our BEE laws in South Africa should be scrapped. According to our news he offered to pay 26% in royalties, like Google does for example in South Africa, but did not agree to give away equity. The BEE laws are basically a way for politically connected ANC members to get a slice of the pie, does not one bit help the majority of people here.
Look Elon is a shit, but even a broken clock is right twice a day. There also needs to be empowerment laws, I say to poor citizens not based on any race laws, even though the majority of extremely poor people are black, coloured indian, mixed…, but not ones that mostly filter to the politically connected like the current BEE laws favour.
I live in SA. Care to back up the royalties claim?
No, you don’t understand. He’s rich and white, so he shouldn’t be subject to those pesky regulations.
That’s how it works in the US, so obviously that’s how it should work in South Africa too.
Laws for thee, nor for me!
The exploited - Law for the rich
