Starlink reportedly rejected a proposal for a 50% stake from Wicknell Chivayo’s IMC and the Mutapa Investment Fund (MIF) ahead of its launch in Zimbabwe.
Starlink officially activated its service in Zimbabwe just before midnight on September 6, 2024, shortly after launching in Botswana.
Investigative journalist Hopewell Chin’ono posted on X, citing sources that revealed DHL, a law firm representing Starlink, along with representatives from the Secret Service, the defence ministry, and ZIMRA, met in Harare this week to discuss the service.
During the meeting, it was alleged that authorities proposed Chivayo’s IMC, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa said was Starlink’s sole partner in Zimbabwe, receive a 40% stake in the company’s local operations, with MIF obtaining 10%.
However, Starlink reportedly rejected the proposal, stating that the other parties contributed little beyond political influence.
The Mutapa Investment Fund, previously known as the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Zimbabwe, is a state-owned investment fund that oversees 20 parastatal entities, including major companies like NetOne, Air Zimbabwe, and the National Railways of Zimbabwe. Wrote Chin’ono:
There was a meeting this week in Harare involving DHL, a law firm representing Starlink, the Secret Service, the defence ministry, and ZIMRA regarding Starlink, according to my sources at Starlink.
Starlink was supposed to dispatch the first 1,500 test kits from America to Harare this week, but they were informed that POTRAZ needed to sign off first, which has now been done.
POTRAZ will also inspect and verify the kits upon their arrival in Harare.
Starlink resisted a proposal for a 50% stake, with Wicknell Chivayo’s IMC receiving 40% and the controversial Mutapa Fund getting 10%.
My Starlink source told me this morning that they rejected the deal because the other parties were not bringing anything to the table except political capital.
The Starlink Africa and Middle East contact informed me that they will be shipping the first 1,500 test kits this coming week via DHL, and they should arrive in Harare within the week for pre-go-live regulatory local compliance activities by POTRAZ.
My source told me that when units are imported via DHL, they are shipped under a global arrangement called Destination Duties Paid (DDP).
SpaceX which runs Starlink pays the duty upfront to ensure a seamless customer experience, avoiding waiting times and delays for customers.
So the Starlink website price includes customs duties according to my Starlink source.
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