We had so much money at times we couldn't even close our safe," Errol said, explaining that one person would hold the money down while a second would slam the safe door shut. Instead Errol returned to South Africa with a half-share in a Zambian emerald mine, which would help to fund his family's lavish lifestyle of yachts, skiing holidays, and expensive computers. According to the story, in the mid-1980s, Errol and a copilot landed their plane near Lake Tanganyika in Zambia, where "a group of Italians" offered them 80,000 pounds in British currency in order to buy the plane. SpaceX, his rocket company, is valued at $20 billion-plus. The Buffalo News via San Jose Mercury News via Newspapers.com, 20 Apr. ", "You have no idea about how bad. "'We Had so Much Money We Couldn't Even Close Our Safe': Elon Musk's Dad Tells BI about the Family's Insanely Casual Attitude to Wealth." The Daily Mail has reported that Errol was a multimillionaire before the age of 30. "They were confronted by it every day," he said. They still feel a bit creepy about it., They still dont like it, Errol admitted in a new interview withthe Sun: They still feel a bit creepy about it because shes their sister. In 1970, Errol married modelMaye Haldeman Musk before the pair welcomed three children: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. We've received your submission. "They didn't like it.". The entire episode started when the satirical publication The Onion published a piece on the wealthiest person in each American state. Wayback Machine. In an email to Rolling Stone, Musk's father said he smacked the Tesla CEO only once and on the bottom. He also said that the only criminal charges that had been filed against him from when he killed three home invaders in self-defense had been cleared. Jump to Main content Search Account Menu icon A vertical stack of three evenly spaced horizontal. Elon Musk isn't innovative. Behind the billions: Inside Errol Musk's emerald mine, net worth & scandals Elon Musks family wealth has once again resurfaced as a talking point. [10] She gave birth to three children; Elon Reeve Musk born on 28 June 1971, Kimbal Reeve Musk born on 20 September 1972, and Tosca Musk born on 20 July 1974. This article is actually accurate: https://t.co/eVpCX9V1NB. The same story appeared to have also been published the day before with the headline, "A teenage Elon Musk once casually sold his father's emeralds to Tiffany & Co. while his dad was sleeping. "One thing he claims is he gave us a whole bunch of money to start, my brother and I, to start up our first company. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt," Elon tweeted in December 2019. Musk left his father behind at the age of 17 to pursue his dreams in North America and escape conscription into the South African military. This is a pretty awful lie. Errol and Elons feud has reportedly been exacerbated by the patriarchs eyebrow-raising relationships. mark_able_jones_. Errol Musk said he bought half of an emerald mine after selling a plane. FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ERROL MUSK 1. By Michael Hein We sent these messages on Nov. 16, but did not receive responses before publishing this story on the following day. Errol employed a cutter in Johannesburg and sold the stones wherever his travels as an engineer or family holidays took him. https://web.archive.org/. Musk, Errol. My Dad provided 10% of a ~$200k angel funding round much later, but by then risk was reduced & round would've happened anyway.". [9], Errol Musk's claims that he invested in Elon Musk's software company Zip2 have been rejected by Elon Musk. Image via Instagram @mayemusk. Errol made money by consulting and developing properties, Forbes reported. de Wet, Phillip. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Errol Musk says teenage Elon Musk once casually walked around with emeralds in his pocket. My dad was not physically violent with me. And I was too scared to tell anyone [about his violence]," Maye told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. 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. 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? Recently, Elon Musk had to set the record straight on a narrative spun over three years ago about his family owning an emerald mine in South Africa. Musk, Elon. South Africa Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican Number: 2005/028472/07. We did not receive a response before this story was published. He told me over and over that I was stupid, ugly, boring. Worked on my Moms cousins farm in Saskatchewan & a lumber mill in Vancouver. Business Insider South Africa, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/how-elon-musks-family-came-to-own-an-emerald-mine-2018-2. It spoke of the divorce of Elon's parents, Errol and Maye Musk, and also contained a quick mention of an emerald mine. After the end of the article, a note was added that read, "BI SA reached out to Elon for confirmation of the tale, but he did not respond. Elon Musk sets record straight on emerald mine and - TESLARATI Where is this bs coming from? He was such a terrible human being, Musk told the magazine. We were very wealthy. My own (wonderful) mother told me I am ruthless and should learn to be more humane. But I love my children and would readily do whatever for them.. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Elon Musks bid to implant chips into human brains shot down by feds, How the feds spend $74M a year to try to censor Americans, US government-funded research tagged Americans for Twitter ban: report, Tesla stock slumps as Master Plan 3 event falls flat with investors, after confirming he fathered a second secret love child, once rumored to be the co-owner of a Zambian emerald mine, an outspoken advocate for abolishing apartheid, Ashlee Vances 2017 biography of the Tesla founder, that he welcomed twochildren with an executive, second child with his ex-girlfriend, Grimes. Jack @lets_gobaby tweeted, Ok but how does inheriting money mean you arent smart?. The gist of the claim was that Elon's father, Errol Musk, who reports say has been estranged from his son for some time, owned an emerald mine during apartheid in South Africa, and that it was seed money from his father's wealth from the mine that made it possible for him to become the American billionaire he is today. 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. Worked on my Moms cousins farm in Saskatchewan & a lumber mill in Vancouver. We went to this guys prefab, and he opened his safe, and there [were] just stacks of money, and he paid me out 80,000, It was a huge amount of money, he said. As a child, Elon had a close relationship with his father and grew up prosperous in Pretoria. [14], Musk was married to Heide Bezuidenhout for eighteen years and helped her raise her young daughter Jana Bezuidenhout, a child from a previous relationship. "Zip2." Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire." But that's more or less where the good fortune ended. Elon Musk addressed the recent social storm when claims related his familys emerald mines in apartheid-South Africa resurfaced online. In addition to Elon, Errol is dad to son Kimbal Musk and daughters Tosca, Alexandra and Asha Rose Musk. Errol Musk Net Worth: Inside the Fortune of Elon Musk's Dad Musk, who is never shy of saying his say online, took to Twitter to show his disappointment with The Onion and took the opportunity to shout-out the publications competition, The Babylon Bee. Esquire, 5 June 2015, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a35508/elon-musk-college-years-canada-u-penn/. Quora, 9 Mar. At some point after the shooting, the relationship between dad Errol and son Elon soured. Errol named his price, and a deal was done. ---. Black Americans Have the Highest Mortality Rates But Lowest Levels of Life Insurance Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, Image Via PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images. This is not true," Elon told Rolling Stone in 2017. Their plane got diverted, which led to a chance meeting with Italians who wanted to buy the plane in cash. "Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done It's so terrible, you can't believe it. "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering.. ". Imgur, 5 Dec. 2019, https://imgur.com/SHGhIY2. I tried threats, rewards, intellectual arguments, emotional arguments, everything to try to change my father for the better, and he no way, it just got worse. His father, Errol Musk, had a casual attitude towards the family's considerable wealth, including the stones that came from the Zambian emerald mine in which Errol owned a half share. He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. The Onion, a satirical publication, shared. 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. His children were reportedly influenced by his liberal political views. This story will be updated if any further details come to light. "And we got emeralds for the next six years.". On July 28, 2014, Forbes.com published an interview with Elon Musk, which was conducted by Jim Clash. At the conference, Elon talked to some professors who told Errol, This boy needs to get his hands on one of these computers. "Tesla, Inc."Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tesla-Motors. @spylinen tweeted, The mine was in Zambia, which became independent of the UK in 1964. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, grew up in South Africa and made his way via Canada to the U.S. as a transfer student before attending the Wharton School and becoming the billionaire tech founder he is today. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. The 76-year-old is most notable for. 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. "But I mean, we were living together. 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. [11] The family lived in Pretoria,[10][12] where Maye worked as a dietician and a model. "Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know? The eccentric billionaire once again attempted to set the record straight about his familys emerald mines to respond to Twitter user @howlpolitically. Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Swallows players. Once the kids were living with me, they visited their father some weekends. The narrative of Elon Musks wealth coming from his familys apartheid gains is one that started a few years ago when Business Insider wrote an article highlighting the Musk familys involvement in mining during SAs apartheid years. There was a shooting in the living room, and I guess his father shot them dead. While the story did mention the family once lived in a popular suburb, the article said nothing of the emerald mine providing wealth to the son when he moved to Canada in 1988, or to the U.S. in 1992. He's the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. In 2019, Elon Musk confronted the Twitter talking point about his father's supposed emerald mine head on, writing, "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending. Later, on Sept. 20, 2022, hecalledRobert Reich "an idiot and a liar" for tweeting a video that pushed the emerald mine wealth rumor as fact. However, again, the story was at least partially unavailable on that website, too. Their half-sister.. [13] After engaging in extra-marital affairs,[4] Errol and Maye divorced in 1979, and both sons moved in with their father. 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. He also claimed, "My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years.". Errol built his wealth as a prominent electromechanical engineer and entrepreneur in South Africa, reports The South African. According to the Internet Archive, the article was still available months after it was published, onSept. 1, 2014, but was gone by Sept. 18. Wanderlust ran on both sides of the family. I couldnt even afford a second [computer] at [web software company] Zip2, so [I] programmed at night and the website only worked during the day. Theyd seen I was sleeping in one morning, and they said, Oh lets just try, lets go.. A Twitter user claimed in December 2019 that Elon Musk's privileged upbringing included his father, Errol Musk, who owned an emerald mine [and] who could bankroll his education. However, the Tesla CEO begged to differ. Jain, Sanya. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day.. 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. But I didnt really understand at the time what kind of person he was. Errol and Jana welcomed a son, Elliot "Rushi" Rush, in 2017 and a daughter in 2019. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years., When the Tesla CEO was around 16 years old, he and his brother Kimbal sold two emeralds to Tiffany & Co. on Fifth Avenue in New York City while Errol snoozed, according to what Musk's father told Business Insider South Africa. Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. The 76-year-old is most notable for being Elons estranged father, with the pair famously falling out several years ago. Errol himself has an adventurous streak and is an avid sailor and pilot. A post on Reddit mentioned a theory that said Elon "convinced these publications to remove the articles," but there's no evidence to support that. Where is this B.S. ", She added, "He was very rich, but he made sure I had nothing. This material may not be reproduced without permission. luis carruthers @orthereaboot tweeted, When the same pattern of racist behavior happens at all $tsla locations, its the company thats racist, and the fish rots from @elonmusks head.. " he told the outlet. He has also fathered two children, a son and a daughter, with his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout. Elon would later get his own pilot's license but no longer has time to fly. According to the Twitter flag, Musk claimed in 2014 to Forbes that he had an emerald mine in Zambia. Elon Musk: The Truth About His Dad and Emerald Mines - Trending The child, a boy named Elliot Rush, is now 5 years old. The article was republished in several other newspapers around the U.S. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done. Other companies started by Musk include Neuralink, which is working on developing implantable brainmachine interfaces. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. Errol also added that his children were keenly aware of the country's government-sanctioned racial segregation. Friend, Tad. Errol and his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, share two children. They never made it to their destination. Elon Musk Once Called His Father, Errol Musk, a 'Terrible Human' Elon Musk said he and his brother have supported their father since he "ran out of money in 90s." He was reacting to a tweet saying he was from a family that owned an African emerald mine.. Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 74: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin returns for a new season of the GHOGH podcast to discuss Bitcoin, bubbles, and Biden. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. He can't have what he wants and now I am apparently an evil monster.". Since at least 2018, a rumor has been shared online about Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk in regard to his father's purported past ownership of an "apartheid emerald mine" or "slave emerald mine." I tried threats, rewards, intellectual arguments, emotional arguments, everything to try to change my father for the better, and he no way, it just got worse., Errol subsequently told the publication in an email: Ive been accused of being a Gay, a Misogynist, a Paedophile, a Traitor, a Rat, a St (quite often), a Bastard (by many women whose attentions I did not return) and much more. "Exploring the otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk", "How To Raise A Billionaire: An Interview With Elon Musk's Father, Errol Musk", "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? They still dont like it. . "And then there'd still be all these notes sticking out and we'd sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets.". "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. Elon Musk does not care about Black people.Example after example after example. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in. With his new riches, Errol also bought half of an emerald mine. I wish. His tweet is now viral with over 9.1 million views. [20] Musk has a total of seven children. From impregnating his stepdaughter to the emerald mine, here's what we know about Elon Musk's South African father Errol Musk. The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, took to Twitter to answer claims made by The Onion about how his family made their money in apartheid South Africa. They also emphasize anecdotes from Elon and his mother about the hard work and squalor they endured in Canada in those years. His brother Kimbal was with him when the two brothers sold two of the gems to Tiffany & Co. for $2,000, according to their father. Errol Musk, the familys patriarch, is in the news after confirming he fathered a second secret love child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, 35. He said, They just walked into Tiffanys and said, Do you want to buy some emeralds? And they sold two emeralds: one was for $800, and I think the other one was for $1,200. In a rare interview with Forbes, Errol revealed that his parents were the first to ever fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine airplane. He told The New York Times that as a member of the Progressive Party, he opposed apartheid. Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. So I became a half owner of the mine," he told the outlet. In 2017, family members were left stunned when Jana became pregnant with Errols baby. All About Errol Musk." Standing with the cash in his hand, Errol was made another offer he couldnt refuse: Would he like to buy half an emerald mine for half of his new riches? 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.. So we went to this guy's prefab and he opened his safe and there was just stacks of money and he paid me out, 80,000, it was a huge amount of money, he said. There is a more nuanced conversation to be had about how Elon Musk specifically and South Africas white population in general benefitted from apartheid. D'Innocenzio, Anne. Fortier, Alexander. Elon Musk addresses emerald mines and apartheid claims - The South African I was 15 and really wanted to go with him but didn't realize how dangerous it was. Or they'd take the plane to Lake Tanganyika [in Zambia], where Errol had a stake in an emerald mine. Address: Regus Business Centre 1st Floor, Block B, North Park, Black River Park, 2 Fir Street, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa Postal: Blue Sky Publications (Pty) Ltd T/A TheSouthAfrican, PO Box 44354, Claremont, 7735, South Africa, United Kingdom Blue Sky Publications Ltd Company Registration Number: 04683692. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his mother, Maye Musk. We reached out to AskMen.com to ask if the fact that some of the pages were gone was a glitch, or if it was a purposeful partial removal. Errol told BI that he was flying from his home in South Africa to the U.K. to sell the plane he was on, with a young Elon in tow. Did Elon Musk's Father Really Own Half of an Emerald Mine? - Market Realist Copyright Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. The interview is no longer available on the Forbes website. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done," Elon said. Musk responded about the time when the photo was clicked. It was authored by Jeremy Arnold with The Save Journalism Committee. . By email, Clash told us he had no idea why it was no longer hosted by Forbes. Errol. Bloomberg.com, 22 May 2020. www.bloomberg.com, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-05-22/elon-musk-speaks-frankly-on-coronavirus-spacex-and-rage-tweets. Elon Musk: The Truth About His Dad and Emerald Mines, Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes Should Remain On-Air Couple After ABC Exit, According to TV Host, King Charles' Reported Reason for Evicting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Revealed, Hoda Kotb Makes Brief 'Today Show' Appearance Amid Family Health Matter, 'Creed III': Why Sylvester Stallone and Rocky Balboa Are Missing From Latest Film, Disney World Brings Back 'Beauty & the Beast' Experience for First Time Since COVID-19 Pandemic Began, QVC Hosts Call it Quits After Nearly 20 Years, Florida Residents Urged to Use Caution With Tap Water After Man Dies From Brain-Eating Amoeba. He would throw out everything they arrived with, so I had to buy them all new clothes and school things. In 2018, Errol Musk interviewed Business Insider South Africa, where he told a story about bartering his way into partial ownership of an emerald mine in Zambia. The Tesla CEO once called his South African dad 'evil' and denied rumours of family wealth fuelled by an emerald mine - but are they ready to reconcile? Hes the son of Maye Musk, a model and dietitian from Canada, and Errol Musk, a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. It was not a good idea.. ---. I left South Africa by myself when I was 17 with just a backpack & suitcase of books. In the interview, Musk's father explained that he bought his share of the emerald mine after selling a plane to a group of Italians. The netizen claimed that the Business Insider article didnt show the real extent of the Musk family profiting from apartheid. ", In 2018, he explained that he was helping Jana get over a breakup at the time of Rushi's conception, but he initially assumed the baby's father was Jana's ex. Note: Reporting from Esquire.com said that Elon moved from South Africa to Canada in 1988. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. To summarize Arnold's story would be difficult, as it contained a considerable amount of data and analysis. Musk's critics often paraphrase the story on social media, who accuse him not only of benefitting from wealth rather than genius but of indirectly profiting from Apartheid. He has also dismissed rumors that his father co-owned a Zambian emerald mine, writing on Twitter in 2019: He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. I've tried everything. He also sent a link to another interview he did with Elon in 2016. Address: Riverbank House, 1 Putney Bridge Approach, London, SW6 4TJ. The user tweeted: If this is half of an article is a small glimpse into the apartheid mines his [family-owned] haha even [T]he Onion tells more truthful stories than CNN and Fox. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.". To add to the truth, we went to Boston Chicken in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving because we couldnt afford a turkey. Former Tesla employee Marcus Vaughn, who worked in the Fremont, California, factory in 2017, alleged that the companys production floor was a hotbed for racist behavior. Supervisors regularly used the N word around Black workers and he said he was fired after complaining to human resources about workplace harassment. Heres his story. Errol and a co-pilot were flying a plane from South Africa to England to sell the aircraft but when they couldn't make a scheduled stop in Saudi Arabia, he pivoted his plan and changed his life. ", Errol and Elon have an acrimonious relationship. Here's what to know about Elon Musk's estranged father, Errol Musk. The patriarch confirmed the shootings to the publication in 2017, saying manslaughter charges were later dropped because he acted in self-defense. How Elon Musk made his money - from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla All About Errol Musk", "50 years of Elon Musk's huge wealth, from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla", "How Elon Musk made his money - from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla", "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege", "At 68, Maye Musk, the Mother of Elon, Is Reclaiming the Spotlight", "El padre de Elon Musk dice que la ambicin de su hijo se debe a la educacin austera que recibi: "Fui un padre estricto", "BBC Two - The Elon Musk Show, Series 1, Episode 2", "Elon Musk's dad reveals he fathered an "unplanned" child with his stepdaughter", "Elon Musk's father has baby with step-daughter he has known since she was four", "Elon Musk's father confirms second child with his own stepdaughter - report", "Errol Musk explains why he got his stepdaughter pregnant", "Ayah Elon Musk Punya Bayi dari Hubungan dengan Putri Tirinya", "Meet Elon Musk's controversial father, Errol", "Errol Musk hat Kind mit Stieftochter: "Wir sind zum Fortpflanzen auf der Welt", "Elon Musk's Dad Says Company Wants His Sperm to Impregnate 'High-Class' Women", Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Errol_Musk&oldid=1142497006, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 18:50.