Clash, Jim. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. Eligon, John, and Lynsey Chutel. ", "You have no idea about how bad. Business Insider South Africa, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/how-elon-musks-family-came-to-own-an-emerald-mine-2018-2. "In my experience, there is nothing you can do," he added. For example, on Dec. 28, 2019, hetweetedthat his father "didn't own an emerald mine" and that he (Elon) had worked his way through college, ending up with around $100,000 in student debt. ---. This story was picked up by other news outlets and peddled as a sign of the Musk family's "lavish lifestyle. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in. For a while, I thought things were so obvious that everyone must know this.". Errol built his wealth as a prominent electromechanical engineer and entrepreneur in South Africa, reports The South African. Whats very difficult for others is easy for me. I wish. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Errol Musk was born in 1946 in Pretoria to Walter Henry James Musk and Cora Amelia Robinson. My Dad provided 10% of a ~$200k angel funding round much later, but by then risk was reduced & round would've happened anyway.". Not for 'At Least' a Few Weeks, Says Elon Musk, Elon Musk's Ex Justine Calls Twitter Employees' Letter Protesting Reported Staff Cuts a 'Very Bad Idea', Elon Musk Says He's Buying Twitter to 'Help Humanity' And Doesn't Want It to Be 'Free-for-All Hellscape', Elon Musk Says Kanye West's Twitter Was Reinstated Before He Took Over the Company, Elon Musk Plans to Cut 75 Percent of Twitter's Workforce If He Takes Over the Company: Report. He was married to Maye Musk and also to Heide Musk, with whom he has two children, Alexandra and Rose. Jana was 4 years old when Errol married her mother, Heide Bezuidenhout though he claims that he didn't consider Jana his stepdaughter, as she primarily grew up separate from the Musks. Errol was a successful consulting engineer, and also owned an emerald mine in Zambia. After the divorce, Elon lived with his father in Pretoria, where he attended Pretoria Boys High. To me, he sure is trying to make the world better right now, and thats the best thing he could do with his fathers money. We also reached out to media relations personnel at SpaceX, where he is the founder and CEO, as well as Tesla and Twitter. Its obvious why Musk would want to distance himself from apartheid in every possible way. Several respondents on social media disputed the emerald mine and privileged-lifestyle story, defending Musks intelligence and questioning the intelligence of the person who started the thread. The story also included the same information from Elon's tweets where he said again that he had "ended up with $100,000 of student debt. Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in 1972 and was an outspoken advocate for abolishing apartheid. Market Realist is a registered trademark. He also co-founded PayPal, which means a Twitter user said The WHOLE bank on the internet was started by him (yes, your credit card as well). Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. 2021, https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Elon-Musks-family-got-their-wealth-from-apartheid-emerald-mining. Musk readily jumps onto Twitter to refute the charges that his empire was forged with the aid of family wealth, and part of the reason he wanted to talk to merather comically given the rocket launch and, well, trollswas because the jabs bug him, and he hopes to set the record straight. Soon after Elon left for Canada, his mother, Maye, moved there too, along with Elons brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca. We contacted Elon publicly on Twitter. He had this sense that it was definitely not a safe place to be, and he had to get the hell out.. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he co-owned an emerald mine in Zambia. ", Five days later on Feb. 28, Business Insider SA published a second article with the headline, "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine in Zambia here's the fascinating story of how they came to own it.". "They didn't like it.". EM: Company death not succeeding with the company causes me a lot more stress than physical danger. In an interview with Business Insider South Africa, Musk's father Errol Musk said he negotiated his way into having partial ownership of an Emerald mine in Zambia along with other assets. He's the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. It was a lucrative decision. He confirmed the birth of their daughter to The Sun in 2022. The netizen claimed that the Business Insider article didnt show the real extent of the Musk family profiting from apartheid. Errol also shared how his sons got involved in the family business and recalled a time when Elon and his brother Kimbal sold a few of the emeralds from his mine to Tiffany & Co. in New York City. Below, we have laid out all of the data that we found, including examples of the rumor, as well as stories from newspaper archives and blogs. However, any reconciliation was apparently short-lived. We also reached out to both men for additional comment and to ask if they could potentially provide any evidence that would support their statements, even though they didn't start the rumor. Errol Musk, the familys patriarch, is in the news after confirming he fathered a second secret love child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, 35. Hes the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. According to Ashlee Vances 2017 biography of the Tesla founder, The Musk family owned one of the biggest houses in Pretoria thanks to the success of Errols engineering business, which included large projects such as office buildings, retail complexes, residential subdivisions, and an air force base.. Elon Musk (~16 years old) & Kimbal Musk sold gems from the Zambian emerald mine to world-famous "Tiffany & Co." on Fifth Avenue in New York - one of the world's most famous jewelers. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. We had so much money at times we couldnt even close our safe, he explained, adding that they would need one person to hold the money in place and another to close the safe door. It spoke of the divorce of Elon's parents, Errol and Maye Musk, and also contained a quick mention of an emerald mine. Has even greenlit racism by saying those on receiving end need thick skin.https://t.co/DhpANcrqNp https://t.co/OESO1BJTtE, Can he be held responsible for his dad's ethics tho? His mother Maye responded on Twitter in December 2019 in defense of Elon. But I've been in physical danger before. The 76-year-old hasnt ruled out having more children, saying: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.. "We went to . "Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves." (We'll have more on Vance's Bloomberg.com interview later in this story.). Standing with the cash in his hand, Errol was made another offer he couldn't refuse: Would he like to buy half an emerald mine for half of his new riches? 2023 The Moguldom Nation. Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post/Getty Images; Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, Elon Musk and Amber Heard's Relationship Timeline, Elon Musk Claims He Had 'No Choice' But to Make Mass Layoffs at Twitter, Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44B Following Legal Battle with Company, Fires Top Execs: Reports, Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey Apologizes Following Layoffs at the Company After Elon Musk's Takeover, Twitter to Lay Off Several Employees Over Email amid Elon Musk Takeover: Reports, Employees Suing Twitter In Response to Elon Musk's Plans for Mass Layoffs, Elon Musk Goes to Heidi Klum's Halloween Party as Stars Vow to Leave Twitter Over Controversy, When Will Donald Trump Return to Twitter? There was a shooting in the living room, and I guess his father shot them dead. In a 2017 email to employees which the company later released in response to one of the lawsuits, Elon warned against being a huge jerk to members of a historically less represented group. He also wrote, if someone is a jerk to you, but sincerely apologizes, it is important to be thick-skinned and accept that apology.. We were very wealthy. Like his son, the wealthy business owner who was once rumored to be the co-owner of a Zambian emerald mine has also been mired in controversy. The story included reporting of Elon's denials that the emerald mine had provided any seed money for the wealth he would later accumulate. The Onion, a satirical publication, shared. "We were lonely, lost people," Errol said. Errol admitted to having affairs, but his ex-wife, now a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model, said the problems in their marriage extended beyond infidelity, alleging that Errol was abusive. What Happened: Musk's comments came on a Twitter. In the meantime, Musk continues to make waves on multiple technological fronts, all while raising concerns about workers' rights and income inequality. Business Insider South Africa, 22 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/elon-musk-sells-the-family-emeralds-in-new-york-2018-2. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, remains a mysterious figure, and there is still no common consensus how his work or his wealth during Elon's childhood. Wayback Machine. [20] Musk has a total of seven children. Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. He said that he sold and traded these emeralds himself and that at one point, Elon himself even went out to sell some of the stones. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. Jack @lets_gobaby tweeted, Ok but how does inheriting money mean you arent smart?. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. Other companies started by Musk include Neuralink, which is working on developing implantable brainmachine interfaces. Errol employed a cutter in Johannesburg and sold the stones wherever his travels as an engineer or family holidays took him. He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. He began his career as an electromechanical engineer. "Exploring the Otherworldly Ambitions of Elon Musk." Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done., He was such a terrible human being. 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