Malatsi says Tony Leon-chaired Resolve Communications approached his office twice

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Resolve Communications, a PR firm chaired by former DA leader Tony Leon, has approached communications minister Solly Malatsi twice since he took office, communicated directly with the minister by telephone and acted on behalf of clients seeking engagement with the government. The details of the engagement with the firm are outlined in a letter by Malatsi to the chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on communications, Khusela Sangoni-Diko, who has instituted a probe into allegations of political interference surrounding Resolve and the communications ministry. In the letter, dated July 5, Malatsi denied that the firm facilitated meetings with Starlink, which seeks to operate in South Africa. “I have met once with a representative of SpaceX, Starlink’s parent company, Ryan Goodnight. The meeting took place in September 2024. I was joined by my chief of staff. The meeting was facilitated directly between my office and Robert Appelbaum,” Malatsi said.“This was an introductory meeting as part of my broader and ongoing effort to understand the impact of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites in accelerating access to broadband connectivity, and, as mentioned previously, I have also met with a great number of other players in this space. “I have also met with MzansiSat, Amazon Leo, China Satellite Network Company (CSNC), Spacesail, Space24, Starlink and other stakeholders advocating for LEO satellites.” The disclosures come as Resolve Communications faces mounting scrutiny over allegations that it used politically connected figures to secure access to senior government decision-makers. The Sunday Times reported over the weekend that Leon allegedly sought to introduce the firm to DA-led municipal administrations in Tshwane and Johannesburg. The newspaper cited an affidavit submitted to the public protector by a former Tshwane official, while former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba said Leon had approached him about a potential relationship between the city and Resolve.Leon has denied any wrongdoing and said the engagements formed part of normal business development and did not result in contracts.In the letter to Diko, Malatsi rejected suggestions that private stakeholders had influenced government policy on equity-equivalent investment programmes, saying the policy formed part of both the DA’s 2024 election manifesto and the government of national unity’s medium-term development plan. Work on the policy had begun shortly after he assumed office, before any engagement with Starlink, he said.The first approach, in November 2024, resulted in a meeting with Premium Ideas SA, a company that raised concern about noncompliance with South Africa’s Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act (Rica), including the distribution of improperly registered SIM cards.The meeting was held at the company’s offices and attended by one of its executives and a stakeholder manager from the minister’s office, according to the letter.The second approach came in June 2025 and related to broadcaster Hot 102.7 FM’s application to amend its licence through the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa).“Initially, a meeting was scheduled for July 2025 but subsequently cancelled by my office after referring the matter to Icasa,” Malatsi said.Business Day