The offer would come at a "last-minute" meeting planned for Tuesday night between SA officials and Musk or his representatives, Bloomberg said.

Musk, who is SA-born, has previously claimed Starlink was barred from operating in SA because he is not Black, an allegation SA officials refuted. SA's telecoms regulator said in March that Starlink had not applied for a licence.

Musk's assertion appeared to be taking a swipe at local Black Economic Empowerment rules, requiring foreign-owned telecommunications licencees to sell 30% of the equity in their local subsidiaries to historically disadvantaged groups.

--Reuters--