WeeklySA_AdminTWIST: The US entrepreneur seeks a licence to provide internet services to a mountain kingdom that Trump says “nobody has ever heard of”…
By Sechaba Mokhethi
US President Donald Trump says nobody has ever heard of Lesotho. But his colleague Elon Musk, head of the new Department of Government Efficiency, is currently seeking a licence to provide internet services in Lesotho.
Addressing a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump announced, “We will be ending the flagrant wasting of taxpayers’ dollars and to that end, I have created a brand-new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — perhaps you’ve heard of it — which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight.”
Musk stood up from the gallery, waving and receiving applause. “Thank you, Elon, you have worked very hard,” Trump said, adding: “Just listen to some of the appalling waste we have already identified”.
Trump then listed various foreign aid initiatives, including “$8 million to promote LGBTQI+ rights in the African nation of Lesotho, which nobody has ever heard of.”
Meanwhile, the Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) is currently consulting the public on whether Starlink Lesotho Pty Ltd should be granted a licence to operate in the country.
According to application documents seen by GroundUp, the application was submitted on January 24 2025, by Micaela Pawlak, whose LinkedIn profile lists her as Starlink’s market access manager at SpaceX, which is owned by Musk.
Registered in Lesotho on April 17 2024, Starlink Lesotho’s 1 000 shares are held by Starlink Holdings Netherlands B.V. The company’s two directors, Lauren Ashley Dreyer and Richard Jinu Lee, are both based in the United States.
In a letter dated April 18 2024, Lee confirmed SpaceX’s economic support for Starlink Lesotho. “SpaceX intends to provide economic support to Starlink Lesotho once the entity has been established and while it demonstrates its ability to become a profitable stand-alone entity,” he wrote.
Last month, the LCA issued a public notice confirming receipt of Starlink Lesotho’s application for a Network Services Licence. If approved, the license would be valid for ten years. The LCA has invited comments in writing.
In its application, Starlink highlighted its potential to advance Lesotho’s connectivity goals. “With Starlink, SpaceX can provide connectivity that reduces infrastructure investment and complements traditional internet service providers,” it stated.
“Since receiving authorisation, SpaceX has deployed over 7 000 satellites and is already providing reliable, low-latency, high-speed broadband services in multiple markets across Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
Many additional markets are targeted for service introduction in 2025 and beyond, “the company said.
Starlink isn’t the only American company eyeing opportunities in the country Trump claims “nobody has ever heard of”. The American hotel chain Marriott is building its first hotel in Maseru.
Additionally, One Thousand & One Voices, a US-based private family capital fund, has made significant investments in Lesotho’s agribusiness sector. In 2017, the fund acquired a controlling stake in SanLei, a trout producer and processor headquartered in Lesotho, though it withdrew from the company last year.
The fund says it has also invested in the Lesotho-based Rosehip Company.
Lesotho has made use of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to become a leading exporter of garments to major US brands, including Foot Locker, Gap, Levi Strauss, Timberland, and Walmart. As a result, Lesotho has emerged as one of the largest sub-Saharan African exporters of garments to the US.
The United States established its embassy in Lesotho in 1966, the same year the country gained independence from the United Kingdom. The two countries have maintained diplomatic relations for nearly 59 years.
Lesotho appears to be taking a measured diplomatic approach in response to Trump’s comments. Speaking to GroundUp, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lejone Mpotjoane acknowledged the US’s right to cut aid to Lesotho. “The funding came through negotiations and agreements. If the US decides to terminate those agreements, there is nothing we can do but accept it,” he said.
“Taking measures [against the US] could drag us into disputes with someone who deliberately wants to drag us into the mud.”
“We have seen his approach to international issues and how he addresses other countries,” Mpotjoane continued.
“Just recently, he was asking how much it would cost to buy Greenland. So, taking any steps now could be a waste of time for us.
“For him to speak that way about Lesotho is quite unfortunate. We are disappointed to be referred to in such a manner by a head of state,” he added. – fullview.co.za
MIRROR Briefs
ZELENSKY TO VISIT SA
Ukranian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is due in South Africa for a state visit on April 10, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has confirmed.
“President Zelenskyy will be visiting South Africa on the 10th of April,” according to his spokesman Vincent Magwenya.
“The visit is a continuation of ongoing engagements held by President Ramaphosa with President Putin and President Zelenskyy on an inclusive peace process that will provide a path to peace between Russia and Ukraine.” Ramaphosa extended the invitation in mid-January.
Confirmation of the date came as European leaders gathered in Brussels to discuss how to support Ukraine, a day after the US suspended vital military aid to the country.
That decision followed a disastrous meeting between the US president Donald Trump and Zelenskyy at the White House recently.
Trump has tried to press Zelenskyy into a hurried peace deal with Russia, while the Ukrainian leader demanded security guarantees before agreeing to a ceasefire in the three-year-old conflict devastating his country.
A fortnight ago, Washington started negotiations with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia but excluded Ukraine from the talks. – Lehlohonolo Lehana
R5.4B BOOST FOR SA
Microsoft president Brad Smith has announced during a visit to Johannesburg that the US software giant will invest R5.4-billion in new data centre infrastructure in South Africa.
This investment will build on Microsoft’s existing R20.4-billion infrastructure injection and the equipping of South Africans with artificial intelligence (AI) skills.
This is the biggest single investment announcement yet in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s SA investment drive.
Since the first South Africa Investment Conference in 2018, the country has attracted R1.14 trillion in investment commitments across a broad range of economic sectors.
Ramaphosa hailed Microsoft’s move as “a substantial investment in South Africa”, highlighting that “this is a US giant making this investment”.
He said Microsoft has successfully integrated the objectives of broad-based black economic empowerment into its business operations with respect to ownership, management control and skills development, and it has demonstrated its commitment to addressing the historical imbalances of South Africa’s past and to fostering an inclusive business environment.
Microsoft’s ongoing expansion of data centre and cloud investments cemented the company’s position as one of the leaders in cloud computing in South Africa. – Lehlohonolo Lehana
WOMEN TACKLE GENDER ISSUES
South Africa’s participation at the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) will underscore the country’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that global gender policies translate into meaningful and tangible change at both regional and national levels.
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, will lead the South African delegation to the 69th Session, which will take place at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York, from Monday, March 10 to 21 2025.
Under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia, the CSW69 will bring together representatives from across the globe to discuss key gender equality issues.
With just five years remaining before the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the international community will evaluate progress made on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (“Beijing +30”), which was adopted at the 1995 World Conference on Women.
Chikunga stressed the importance of South Africa’s participation in such global forums, emphasising that these engagements are vital for shaping policies that affect South African citizens directly.
“South Africa’s presence at CSW69 reinforces our commitment to gender equality and ensures our national interests are reflected in international gender policies and frameworks.”
The key Issues South Africa will address at CSW69 include women’s economic empowerment and leadership. South Africa will advocate for policy interventions that eliminate economic barriers for women. – SA news
