Tesla suffers major sales decline in Sweden and Denmark
In Sweden, Tesla's registrations, which are a measure of sales, fell 64.4% in June from a year earlier.
Tesla's sales were also down 61.6% in Denmark, where the US EV maker's revised Model Y sales fell 31.2% compared with last year to 1,155 cars, showing no signs of reviving the brand's fortunes.
The publication of Tesla's monthly car registration figures coincided with a renewal of a dispute between Musk and US President Donald Trump regarding a sweeping tax cut and spending bill.
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IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
Elon Musk's Starlink will have to wait for years – or find a way around B-BBEE laws ahead of G20
President Cyril Ramaphosa denied harbouring ideas of relaxing economic transformation laws to benefit tech billionaire Elon Musk after his recent visit to the US. In his recent weekly letter to the nation, Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to broad-based economic policies that are central to fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Image: Presidency Pretoria-born tech tycoon Elon Musk will have to wait for about two years before his Starlink satellite internet company can legally enter the South African market – a vital area for the service to operate optimally in the region. Starlink – already available in a number of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and other countries on the continent – is reportedly aiming to launch its services in SA ahead of the G20 conference hosted by South Africa and opening in November. But the company still intends to bypass the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) law and its 30% previously disadvantaged individual ownership laws that Musk has labelled as 'racist', preferring instead to go the Equity Equivalent Investment Programme route, which on its own is not enough to be granted a licence. 'The wheels of government don't mill that fast,' said Paul Colmer, an executive committee member of the Wireless Access Providers' Association (WAPA), a non-profit wireless industry association established in 2006. Speaking to the Pretoria News on Wednesday about their 2025 WAPALOZA conference held in Muldersdrift near Johannesburg from June 23-25, Colmer estimated that it would take about two years for the Electronic Communications Act to be amended. He based this on a presentation by a legal practitioner who made a presentation at the conference. He said as things stood, to 'sidetrack' the B-BBEE requirements there would need to be a change in legislation, which is a 'long process'. There were other ways Starlink could speed up its entry into South Africa, including through partnering with local entities that already have the required B-BBEE status, but Musk and Starlink reportedly "really, really do not like the idea of middle-men". The company and its representatives have also been accused of using Musk's proximity to US President Donald Trump and members of his administration to expand across Africa and in other countries. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Colmer said Starlink, which has been 'overhyped' when there were other similar service providers to choose from, was discussed at their conference but was not the main topic. The key points of discussion included spectrum sharing – a major source of opportunities for the smaller local wireless internet service provider (WISP) following Icasa's recent legislation amendment – and artificial intelligence (AI). However, Colmer said his personal highlight was the technical presentations or regulatory discussions – it was the inspirational human stories of innovation and perseverance, especially that of Songezo Mhambi from the underserved Eastern Cape who spoke on "How I Built a WISP". He said Mhambi started with network switches on his bed because the roof was leaking everywhere else, literally sleeping with his network equipment. He fought to get bank funding, overcame incredible hurdles, and now he's expanding and creating employment. Today, Songezo is, among other things, founder and CEO at Mdaswifi, founder at Vice-Tech, a renowned tech entrepreneur and a 'digital evangelist'. Colmer said he wished he could clone Mhambi because people like him are the solution to getting everyone in South Africa connected. A representative from the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) spoke about the connectivity ecosystem, emphasising how different forms of wireless technology can complement rather than simply compete with each other. Various connectivity solutions – from cellular to wi-fi to satellite – each have unique strengths and weaknesses that can together create a robust network ecosystem able to reliably and economically serve communities across South Africa's diverse landscape. Describing the conference as a success and welcoming the 'pragmatic optimism' displayed, Colmer reiterated his view that Starlink was 'overhyped' and dismissed concerns that Musk's constellation was going to kill the smaller wireless connectivity operators. In his conference summary he said: 'Yes, Starlink is coming, but OneWeb is already legally available in South Africa. Amazon's Project Kuiper is on the way. The Chinese are building their own constellation. 'But here's what I think got lost in all the hype: Starlink isn't the WISP killer some people fear it is. It has real limitations – downloading certain apps is problematic, WhatsApp calling isn't ideal. It's going to be complementary rather than primary. In countries that initially moved from WISPs to Starlink, many have actually moved back to WISPs.'
The South African
9 hours ago
- The South African
Can naturalised citizenships - like Elon Musk's - be revoked?
After a messy, public fallout last month, US President Donald Trump has threatened to have his former right-hand man, Elon Musk, deported after potentially revoking his naturalised citizenship. The Pretoria-born billionaire boasts three citizenships – South Africa by birth, Canada by parentage, and becoming a naturalised American in 2002. In May, Elon resigned as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) amid public backlash. In recent weeks, Elon Musk has been posting his strong-worded opinions about President Donald Trump's promotion of a controversial tax bill that was recently passed by the US Senate. When asked about Elon's X posts about the prospective legislature, Trump told reporters on Tuesday, 1 July: 'We might have to put DOGE on Elon 'DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn't that be terrible?' Further questioned if Trump was considering deporting Musk, he responded that he would 'take a look'. Trump added that Elon Musk had a 'lot more to lose', referring to his government electric vehicle subsidies. On his Truth Social platform, the president posted: 'Elon may get more subsidies than any human being in history. By far. And without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa. 'No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!' In a memo posted last month, the US Department of Justice vowed to prioritise the denaturalisation of citizens who posed a threat to the country. The list of categories included individuals who had committed a host of crimes, those who had fraudulently acquired their citizenship, and those who threatened national security, particularly with regard to terrorism, espionage, and the unlawful export of technology and information. The department also stated that they could use their discretion to pursue individual cases that they deemed necessary. Could Elon Musk be deported after tiff with Trump? According to a Department of Justice memo, naturalised citizens can have their status's revoked. Images via X: @elonmusk/Canva According to Muzaffar Chishti from the Migration Policy Institute, the process could become complicated. He told The Guardian: '[The administration] can't, on their own, denaturalize people. They still have to go to a federal district court. 'Denaturalisation finally does belong to federal district courts. But they are obviously keen on finding every way they can to denaturalize people they think did not deserve to be naturalized.' In February, Canadian MP Charlie Angus started a petition to have Elon Musk's citizenship revoked. Signed by close to 400 000 citizens, the petition stated that Elon has acted against Canada's national interest and undermined its sovereignty. It also claims that the world's richest man has used his wealth and power to influence their elections. However, it's unlikely that Elon's citizenship will be revoked, as the Canadian legislature states that this is only the case for individuals who commit fraud or misrepresentation. Immigration lawyer Gabriela Ramo told CBC: 'Before they could move to do this, they would need to introduce legislation. There would have to be amendments to the current Citizenship Act. 'There's no provision that would allow them to pursue revocation of citizenship of a Canadian birth, by virtue of his birth to a Canadian mother.' In March, Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader Julius Malema also questioned if Elon Musk was still classified as a South African citizen. This after he accused Elon of influencing diplomatic tensions between the US and his country of birth. However, Minister of Home Affairs Leon Schreiber, in a written response, stated that divulging such information would infringe on the Protection of Personal Information (POPI) Act. Schreiber stated that the party was required to submit an application, including identity numbers, to obtain the information through the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
US stocks mixed as Trump tax bill advances, Tesla falls
Among individual companies, Tesla fell 5.3 percent as the electric car company's CEO Elon Musk sparred with Trump over the tax and spending bill. Wall Street stocks finished mixed Tuesday after the Senate approved Donald Trump's sweeping legislation to extend tax cuts and enact deep reductions in social spending. The Republican-led upper congressional chamber narrowly cleared Trump's mammoth domestic policy bill, sending the measure back to the House of Representatives, where the vote is also expected to be close. Equity market viewers have cheered the prospects of extending tax cuts while expressing misgivings about projections that the measure will add some $3 trillion to the US national debt. ALSO READ: Trump reassures allies as NATO agrees 'historic' spending hike The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9 percent to 44,494.94. But the broad-based S&P 500 dipped 0.1 percent to 6,198.01, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 0.8 percent to 20,202.89. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at records on Monday. Data released Tuesday showed US manufacturing activity shrank in June for a fourth straight month, though by a slower rate than the prior month. The report comes ahead of key US data later in the week, including the closely watched monthly jobs report. ALSO READ: Trump's ultimatum undermines US credibility Among individual companies, Tesla fell 5.3 percent as the electric car company's CEO Elon Musk sparred with Trump over the tax and spending bill. After Musk lambasted the legislation as wasteful and misguided, Trump warned of retribution against Tesla and other Musk ventures. 'This high-profile feud introduces political risk,' said of the tiff. 'The personal nature of the conflict, amplified by Trump's comments implying Tesla's reliance on subsidies for survival, has sparked fears of broader policy shifts targeting Musk's business empire. This political uncertainty undermines investor confidence.' Meanwhile, rival automakers General Motors and Ford jumped 5.7 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively, after reporting higher second-quarter US auto sales, as consumers accelerated purchases to get ahead of US tariffs. READ NEXT: Trump launches new gold smartphone 'made entirely in US'
