Elon Musk’s South African citizenship questioned

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber said he could not provide details on Elon Musk, Reon Barnard, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks’ South African citizenship.

Musk, Barnard, Thiel, and Sacks are influential businessmen who are seen as close allies to United States President Donald Trump.

Musk, born and raised in South Africa, heads up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration.

He has been outspoken about the race-based laws in South Africa, which have prevented his satellite Internet service, Starlink, from launching locally.

“Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa because I’m not black,” Musk said on his social media platform, X.

It sparked a debate about whether he was still a South African resident and how black economic empowerment (BEE) laws apply to his Starlink service.

Reon Barnard is a successful mining entrepreneur and a trustee of the Gary and Vivenne Player Foundation. He and Gary Player have close ties to Trump.

David Sacks was born in Cape Town but moved to Tennessee when he was five. Like Musk, he started his journey in Silicon Valley at PayPal.

Following the listing of PayPal on Nasdaq and its sale to eBay, Sacks, like Musk, used the proceeds to launch his own ventures.

Donald Trump appointed Sacks as his artificial intelligence (AI) and crypto czar, which shows his influence in the new administration.

Peter Thiel, the so-called ‘Don’ of the Paypal mafia, spent some time in South Africa before becoming a renowned tech investor.

Over the last few weeks, the relationship between the United States and South Africa became strained, partly due to local empowerment policies.

South Africa was also criticised for its close relationship with enemies of the United States, including Iran, Hamas, China, and Russia.

The United States urged South Africa to roll back policies like the new Expropriation Act and become more business-friendly to attract foreign investment.

South Africa hit back by launching a scathing attack on the Trump Administration and siding with Hamas against Israel.

Many South African politicians blame Musk, Barnard, Thiel, and Sacks for the strained relationship between the two nations.

Elon Musk’s South African citizenship questioned

Parliamentary member Thapelo Mogale asked Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber whether Elon Musk, Deon Barnard, Peter Thiel and David Sacks were South African citizens.

He also asked whether their South African citizenship status would be revoked as they are linked to President Donald Trump.

Mogale argued that they funded his presidential campaign and contributed to his negative views about South Africa.

Schreiber responded, saying he could not disclose details about people’s citizenship as the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) prohibits this.

The Minister added that the Department of Home Affairs will not weaponise the law to pursue political ends.

“Instead of being based on politics, our decisions are informed by the requirements of the Constitution, the rule of law, rationality, and just administrative action,” he said.

He accused Mogale’s question of being politically motivated as his leader, Julius Malema, is under fire for years of hateful and violent rhetoric.

He said Malema is now cowering behind the Minister of Home Affairs in an ill-fated attempt to escape from the possible consequences of his actions.

“It is advisable for his party leader to apologise for his inflammatory and divisive rhetoric and to meaningfully commit to a program of restitution and nation building,” Schreiber said.

Musk recently said he grew up as an English South African and considers himself to be “simply an American”.

“That said, what’s happening in South Africa is deeply wrong. Not what Mandela intended at all,” he said.