Johannesburg, South Africa – Independent South African researcher Bianca van Wyk has blocked Elon Musk on X for the second time, this time in direct response to the billionaire’s escalating criticism of the country’s Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) policies and their alleged role in blocking Starlink’s launch.
Van Wyk, who runs the account @BiancavanWyk16, is known for her detailed examinations of crime statistics, court records, and asylum claims related to farm attacks in South Africa. She has consistently pushed back against what she views as exaggerated international narratives about “white genocide,” while acknowledging the seriousness of violent crime affecting all communities.
The latest block follows Musk’s recent posts in which he described B-BBEE as “extremely racist” and “evil.” Musk, born in Pretoria, has repeatedly claimed that Starlink cannot obtain an operating licence in South Africa simply because he is not Black. He alleged that officials offered multiple opportunities for the company to “bribe” its way to approval by installing a nominal Black executive as a front, an arrangement he said he rejected on principle. Musk has called for global sanctions against such race-based policies.
This stance has reignited fierce debate in South Africa, where the government insists that B-BBEE requirements apply equally to all companies as a means of addressing historical apartheid-era inequalities. Officials have maintained that the Starlink licensing delay relates to regulatory compliance, not personal discrimination.
Van Wyk’s decision to block Musk again comes after a previous incident in October 2024. At the time, she had blocked the X owner but later unblocked him temporarily to report a technical issue with the platform’s verification system. In a casual reply, she wrote: “them? And Elon – I blocked him and I had to unblock him to tell him to fix my problem?”. The remark highlighted the practical irony of critics needing to access Musk directly when dealing with X glitches.
She subsequently re-blocked him, and the latest action appears tied to his latest broadsides against B-BBEE and Starlink. Van Wyk has not issued a detailed public explanation for the renewed block, but her feed reflects ongoing disagreement with Musk’s framing of South African racial and economic policies.
Her X bio — “Respect the voices, not the echoes” — underscores her approach of challenging dominant online narratives, whether local or imported.
The episode illustrates the deeply polarized nature of discussions around race, empowerment legislation, and foreign investment in post-apartheid South Africa. Supporters of B-BBEE see it as essential redress; critics, including Musk, argue it constitutes institutionalized discrimination that harms economic growth and deters innovation. The continued absence of Starlink leaves many rural and underserved areas without access to reliable high-speed satellite internet.
Musk has not publicly commented on van Wyk’s latest block. For her part, the "researcher" continues her independent work scrutinizing public claims and statistics on crime and policy impacts.
In the fast-moving world of X, where personal interactions often symbolize larger ideological conflicts, van Wyk’s repeated use of the block button reflects how even users with significant followings navigate engagement with the platform’s influential owner. Whether this latest digital separation proves permanent — or another temporary measure — remains to be seen, but it once again spotlights the complex interplay between Musk’s global platform and the heated debates rooted in his country of birth.
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