Meet Elon Musk’s controversial father, Errol: the Tesla CEO called his South African dad ‘evil’ and denied rumours of family wealth fuelled by an emerald mine – but are they ready to reconcile?

Jun 15 , 2022

Elon Musk once described his father, Errol, as “evil”. Photos: AFP, Wikimedia Commons

The SpaceX billionaire’s father raised him in ‘one of the biggest houses’ in South Africa, before Elon claimed he moved him, his wife Maye, and the rest of the family to Malibu, California

Reportedly affluent even before Elon’s success, Errol is also riddled with scandal, from impregnating his stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout to allegedly killing three people in ‘self-defence’

Elon Musk is one of the richest men in the world – but remains an enigma to many. Not much is known about his private life, his upbringing in South Africa or his relationship with his family. The secrecy has resulted in many myths around the Tesla and SpaceX boss who has been called “the architect of tomorrow”.

Elon Musk, founder, CEO, and chief engineer/designer of SpaceX, speaks during a news conference after a Falcon 9 SpaceX rocket test flight at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in January 2020. Photo: AP

Musk has, in the past, been vocal about some aspects of his life. In a rare interview back in 2017 with Rolling Stone, he spoke about being bullied while living in Pretoria, South Africa and his relationship with his father, Errol. It’s a relationship that has been riddled with tension, but now a healing union might have begun.

Errol Musk, the father of tech billionaire Elon Musk who spent his early life in apartheid-era South Africa, poses for a portrait at his house Langebaan, South Africa, on May 26. Photo: AFP

Here’s what you need to know about Errol Musk.

Elon vs Errol

Elon Musk describes himself as a “technologist”, similar to his father Errol who was “brilliant at engineering”. Photo: AFP

In a 2017 profile of Elon in Rolling Stone, although the “technologist” said his father is “brilliant at engineering”, he also referred to him as a “terrible human being”.

Elon lived with his father after his parents (Maye and Errol) split. He said in the interview that, while his dad was not physically violent, “you have no idea” of what kind of person he is. He alleged that Errol had done “almost every crime you can think of. It’s so terrible, you can’t believe it”.

Elon Musk has a close relationship with his mother, Maye. Photo: NBC/Getty Images

Elon claimed he moved Errol, Maye and their children to Malibu, but things did not work out. He said he had done “everything to try to change my father for the better and he, no way, it just got worse”.

Baby Elon and Errol Musk. Photo: @heavenravenofficial/Instagram

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