She won't speak to me or engage me if we're in the same room which we have been often.". People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. "'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." In Errol's case, we sent a message to his Facebook profile. Or they'd take the plane to Lake Tanganyika [in Zambia], where Errol had a stake in an emerald mine. After his divorce from Elons mother, Errol went on to wed HeideBezuidenhout, a young widow who already had two children, including 4-year-old Jana Bezuidenhout. 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. Former Tesla employees have reported racist behavior and attempted to sue over it. He also added, "'Self-made billionaires' are a myth." 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. "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" "[4][8], In 1972, he was elected to the Pretoria City Council as a representative of the anti-apartheid Progressive Party. 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? So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.". The entire episode started when the satirical publication The Onion published a piece on the wealthiest person in each American state. 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. FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ERROL MUSK 1. 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. Errols grandmother was Canadas first chiropractor, while Errols own mom and dad were the first two people to fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine airplane, according to Forbes magazine. Arnold, Jeremy. 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. The Musk name might be one of the most recognizable on the planet, but little is known about its patriarch, Errol Musk. Still, Elon's tweets leave just enough room for Errol's story to be accurate, even if the inferences about his family's wealth are not. Errol named his price, and a deal was done. ", For his part, Errol told the Daily Mail that Elon "needs to grow up" and "get over himself," adding, "I'm not going to hit back. "Everybody I knew called him 'the Pig' because he treated me so badly in public. Errol Musk is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. "My [former] wife doesn't speak to me, even when we're together, she won't speak to me, so we haven't spoken to one other for 37 years. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.. Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Stellenbosch players? It spoke of the divorce of Elon's parents, Errol and Maye Musk, and also contained a quick mention of an emerald mine. "He also claims he was getting emeralds from other sources, with only 60-70% coming from this venture." "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story." The 76-year-old hasnt ruled out having more children, saying: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.. The billionaire, who was born in South Africa, took to. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. Clash's same 2014 interview was also republished by AskMen.com on Jan. 2, 2015. On May 22, 2020, Bloomberg.com published an interview with Elon, which was penned by Ashlee Vance. In 2019, a Twitter user claimed that Musk's father Errol owned an emerald mine. 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. Britannica.com, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zip2. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, Image Via PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images. Business Insider South Africa, 23 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-dad-tells-bi-about-the-familys-casual-attitude-to-wealth-2018-2. 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. My dad was not physically violent with me. "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.". In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. Unlike his son, Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk, Errol has mostly flown under the radar, though the father of seven has had an increasingly public profile over the last few years, largely due to his complicated family relationships. He also claimed, "My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years.". Soon after Elon left for Canada, his mother, Maye, moved there too, along with Elons brother, Kimbal, and sister, Tosca. Click Here to Get Smart on Protecting Your Family and Loves Ones, No Matter What Happens. 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." But I've been in physical danger before. His net worth is. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he co-owned an emerald mine in Zambia. These tweets from December 2019 appeared to have stemmed, at least in part, from a since-deleted tweet from a user with the handle @1aprildaniels. Elon was said to be particularly furious that his father had impregnated his stepsister. It didn't work out too well in the end," he said. 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 up ~$100k in student debt. Ask him." Earlier in this story, we referenced a July 3, 2020, tweet from Elon that mentioned Vance's interview. After Maye and Errol divorced in 1980, Elon mostly lived with his father, who says he owned thoroughbred horses, a yacht, several houses and a Cessna. Journalism strengthens democracy. The article attributed the source of Elon Musks wealth to apartheid. It was a lucrative decision. His parents divorced. I couldn't find my passport so I ended up grabbing my brother's which turned out to be six months overdue! "'His Family Stole an Emerald Mine.'" I felt sorry for my father, because my mother had all three kids. SASSA: Here are your March 2023 grant payment dates. I can't see any reason not to. Elon also denied that Errol invested in the company. CEO Elon Musk said his father Errol ran out of money in the '90s and was provided financial support by the entrepreneur and his brother. His mother Maye responded on Twitter in December 2019 in defense of Elon. There were AK-47s all over the place and I'm thinking, "Man, this could really go bad.". If I could have another child I would. Clash, Jim. In 1972, Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in his native South Africa. 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 . The 76-year-old is most notable for being Elons estranged father, with the pair famously falling out several years ago. On Wednesday, Errol confirmed that he and Jana had welcomed a second child, a daughter who is now 3. The constant resurfacing of the story is probably what spurred Musk into replying on Twitter. 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.. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in. "I started my first company with $2,500, and I had one computer and a car that I bought for $1,400, and all that debt. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. For what it's worth, my reporting, based on conversations with hundreds of people, confirms Musk's story. Arnold paraphrased his answers, publishing that he said "it was a handshake deal with a Panamanian man that resulted in something like 110 emeralds up front and then a semi-regular trickle of rough stones over a few years following," and that "there was never formal ownership.". The Buffalo News via San Jose Mercury News via Newspapers.com, 20 Apr. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt," Elon tweeted in December 2019. Quora, 9 Mar. To me, he sure is trying to make the world better right now, and that's the best thing he could do with his father's money. ", She added, "He was very rich, but he made sure I had nothing. "We were very wealthy. The article was titled, "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story.". For a while, I thought things were so obvious that everyone must know this.". Nothing, nothing. On July 3, 2020, Elon tweeted about the subject again, responding to a since-deleted tweet with, "I don't have an 'emerald mine,' nor was I given free money from anyone, inheritance or otherwise. https://web.archive.org/. Errol Musk, the family's patriarch, is in the news after confirming he fathered a second secret love child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, 35. "They were confronted by it every day," he said. Note: Some of the tweets that promoted the rumor said that Elon did not found Tesla, which was true. "Elon Musk Hits out at US Professor over Emerald Mine Claims: 'Idiot and Liar.'" 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. You have no idea. Elon and Kimbal allegedly sold 2 emeralds: one worth $800 and another worth $1200. "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? "Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know? Errol. On their way to England, Errol and his copilot got word that their original flight plan was going to cost a lot of money. Elon would later get his own pilot's license but no longer has time to fly. 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. . 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. Errol Musk, the father of Elon Musk, told British tabloid The Sun Wednesday that he had a second and previously-unknown child with his stepdaughter, Jana Bezuidenhout, in 2019 leaving many. At 17, Musk decided to leave home, heading first to Canada and then the U.S. for university. Its so terrible, you cant believe it.. This is why people are switching to @TheBabylonBee! Musk wrote. But the emerald mine story keeps coming back. A common story about Musk on social media is that his father owned part of an emerald mine, providing a bedrock of wealth that buoyed Elon up to his current level of success. We did not receive a response before this story was published. Beyond that, we were unable to find any evidence that showed money generated from his father's involvement in the mine helped Elon build his wealth in North America. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.". The claim attracted a response from the billionaire, who said that the claim isn't true. Where is this bs coming from? In that way, Errol might be like estranged Elon after all. Below we have provided a small sampling of the many different ways the rumor has been framed in past years. Errol Musk was born in Pretoria South Africa to Walter Henry James and Cora Amelia Robinson. He did the investment after selling a plane for about 80 000. 1995 - 2023 by Snopes Media Group Inc. "Tesla, Inc."Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tesla-Motors. He was bullied at school. Headded, also on Dec. 28, "We started Zip2 with ~$2k from me plus my overclocked home-built PC, ~$5k from my bro & ~$8k from Greg Kouri (such a good guy he is greatly missed). [11][5] Maye has stated that Errol beat her. Other companies started by Musk include Neuralink, which is working on developing implantable brainmachine interfaces. To summarize Arnold's story would be difficult, as it contained a considerable amount of data and analysis. The tweet was shared as a screenshot on Imgur.com, which showed the image had been viewed more than 300,000 times. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed. The 76-year-old is most notable for. The most direct address was a tweet that said his father "didn't own an emerald mind [and] I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt.". [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. It is still hard to discern whether this story is true and what conclusions can be drawn. Moneycontrol.com, 21 Sept. 2022, https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/elon-musk-hits-out-at-us-professor-over-emerald-mine-claims-idiot-and-liar-9208281.html. [10][11] Musk told Agence France-Presse that he was a strict father who raised his children with discipline and austerity. In South Africa, my father had a private plane we'd fly in incredibly dangerous weather and barely make it back. Errol and Heide had two children of their own, but he also helped raise Jana. After obtaining the mine, he tells that he had so much money, that 'he couldn't close his safe'. mark_able_jones_. [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. On an undisclosed date, Errol reportedly shot and killed three of up to a half-dozen armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home, according to Rolling Stone. Elon Musk addressed the recent social storm when claims related his familys emerald mines in apartheid-South Africa resurfaced online. Born in 1971, Musk grew up in Pretoria, South Africa. * The headline of this article was updated toreflect that the Musk family once owned the mine in question, and no longer do. . Still, it wasarchived by the Internet Archive. Musk, Errol. Elon called the story "actually accurate." The Twitter account no longer exists. In the interview, Musk's father explained that he bought his share of the emerald mine after selling a plane. ". The wealth earned from the investment in the mine was quantified to be about $400,000 USD, taking into account inflation when Arnold's piece was written in 2021, according to Errol. So we had this planeload of contraband and an overdue passport from another person. Address: Riverbank House, 1 Putney Bridge Approach, London, SW6 4TJ. 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? We did not receive a response from Forbes PR. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. Errol Musk says teenage Elon Musk once casually walked around with emeralds in his pocket. "Back when I was ~$100k negative with student debt," he wrote. @spylinen tweeted, The mine was in Zambia, which became independent of the UK in 1964. That conversation is more valuable but less newsworthy than just resurfacing the same lazy claims every few months, which are guaranteed to get clicks. 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. 2021, https://savingjournalism.substack.com/p/i-talked-to-elon-musk-about-journalism. ", According to the story, Errol said that Elon "once walked the streets of New York with emeralds in his pocket." "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege." Elon clarified that his father was never physically abusive toward him and that he once tried to mend the relationship by inviting his father to live with him in the United States. EM: Company death not succeeding with the company causes me a lot more stress than physical danger. Move over, Elon theres another Musk hitting the headlines. Although Tesla stands out as a groundbreaking company at the forefront of the electric car revolution, its standard operating procedure at the Tesla factory is pre-civil-rights-era race discrimination, Vaughn wrote in his complaint, according to a Daily Beast report. Friend, Tad. Here's what to know about Elon Musk's estranged father, Errol Musk. "They just walked into Tiffany's and said, 'Do you want to buy some emeralds?' One of their homes was in Waterkloof, a leafy suburb of Pretoria that was popular with foreign diplomats. Musk replied, linking to Jeremy Arnolds article, which gave Musks side of the story. 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. While in Djibouti, he and his co-pilot sold their plane to some Italian nationals. ", Musk tackled it on Twitter as the story circulated, but his denials do not explicitly contradict his father's tale of the bizarre airplane-emerald mine trade.