[Jana] stayed here for about 18 months after Rushi was born. 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. 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. Where is this bs coming from? ---. odakyu11. All Rights Reserved. @spylinen tweeted, The mine was in Zambia, which became independent of the UK in 1964. The Twitter account no longer exists. "We went to .
Elon Musk addresses emerald mines and apartheid claims - The South African We were going to fly into Jeddah and there was a religious holiday and they said if we come in now we have to pay $2,000 but if we wait 10 days we can come in at no charge. They never made it to their destination.
I left South Africa by myself when I was 17 with just a backpack & suitcase of books. "They just walked into Tiffany's and said, 'Do you want to buy some emeralds?' Note: Some of the tweets that promoted the rumor said that Elon did not found Tesla, which was true. Musk had earlier slammed Reich for misrepresenting his background in the post, which argued that "self-made billionaires are a myth" and named the SpaceX founder and other prominent business. The rumor of the "apartheid emerald mine" received a spike in shares around the time that Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter in late 2022.
", Errol and Elon have an acrimonious relationship. AskMen, 2 Jan. 2015, https://www.askmen.com/entertainment/right-stuff/elon-musk-interview.html. 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. "I said, 'Oh, all right.' This is going to sound slightly crazy, but my father also had a share in an Emerald mine in Zambia. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done.". "'His Family Stole an Emerald Mine.'" "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. In the past, the Tesla CEO hasrespondedseveral times on Twitter about the emerald mine rumors. Errol Musk (born 1946) is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, sailor, consultant, and property developer who was once a co-owner of a Zambian emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika .
What We Know About Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine Rumor 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. The Onion, a satirical publication, shared. In the interview, the Tesla owner briefly mentioned that his father had a share in an emerald mine in Zambia. 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. 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. And then thered still be all these notes sticking out, and wed sort of pull them out and put them in our pockets.. 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.. More answers and details are available in Arnold's article.
Get to Know Errol Musk, Elon's "Brilliant," "Terrible" Father Esquire, 5 June 2015, https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a35508/elon-musk-college-years-canada-u-penn/. Errol was born in South Africa to a British mother and a South African father. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his mother, Maye Musk. ". There, the two South Africans ran into a group of Italians who, as it happened, were in the market for an airplane. "Errol also quoted a lower number to me over the phone," Arnold wrote. All About Errol Musk." My Dad provided 10% of a ~$200k angel funding round much later, but by then risk was reduced & round would've happened anyway.". Errol has long since retired from the engineering business and now lives a quiet life in the Western Cape in South Africa. The tweet was shared as a screenshot on Imgur.com, which showed the image had been viewed more than 300,000 times. SASSA: Here are your March 2023 grant payment dates. I felt sorry for my father, because my mother had all three kids. He confirmed the birth of their daughter to The Sun in 2022. With his new riches, Errol also bought half of an emerald mine. The Associated Press, 20 July 2021, https://apnews.com/article/business-science-3546262d41f4c84763aa15339f642a5a. 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. On holidays, Errol and his kids would travel, he said: to Europe, Hong Kong, throughout the United States. So I became a half owner of the mine," he told the outlet. While in Djibouti, he and his co-pilot sold their plane to some Italian nationals. 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 would throw out everything they arrived with, so I had to buy them all new clothes and school things. Errol Musk is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. 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. We also reached out to media relations personnel at SpaceX, where he is the founder and CEO, as well as Tesla and Twitter. Sager, Jessica. The Daily Mail has reported that Errol was a multimillionaire before the age of 30. Or they'd take the plane to Lake Tanganyika [in Zambia], where Errol had a stake in an emerald mine. 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. ", 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. 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..
How Elon Musk made his money - from emeralds to SpaceX and Tesla "Elon Musk's Vision of an Electric-Car Future." 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." Move over, Elon theres another Musk hitting the headlines. "Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine."
Elon Musk Says He and His Brother Financed Their Father Errol Since 1990s There were AK-47s all over the place and I'm thinking, "Man, this could really go bad.". 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. Errol. The Buffalo News via San Jose Mercury News via Newspapers.com, 20 Apr. The story made no further mention of the mine. It was also shared on Reddit.com. 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. "Elon Musk Tells Me His Secret Of Success (Hint: It Ain't About The Money)." Smart Policies are as low as $30 a month, No Medical Exam Required But I've been in physical danger before. The Musk name might be one of the most recognizable on the planet, but little is known about its patriarch, Errol Musk. [15][16] At the time of their marriage, Jana Bezuidenhout was only four years old and lived together with them. Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire. Kaizer Chiefs to sign more Swallows players. Meanwhile, Elon has himself admitted that his father has a very high IQ and is brilliant at engineering. In 2017, he also told Rolling Stone that Errol was the youngest person to get a professional engineers qualification in South Africa., Im naturally good at engineering thats because I inherited it from my father, the worlds richest man stated. ---. [11][5] Maye has stated that Errol beat her. 2023 The Moguldom Nation. In addition, they offered Errol a chance to buy partial ownership of a Zambian emerald mine. A recurring theme on social media is the claim that Musks father owned an emerald mine and paid for his sons privileged upbringing and education. Musk has denied that story. The Onion, 22 Mar. We reached out to Reich to ask if he could provide evidence of his assertion, but did not receive a response before this story was published. According to the Internet Archive, the article was still available months after it was published, onSept. 1, 2014, but was gone by Sept. 18. Harris Goe Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, What's next for Buster Murdaugh after dad's murder conviction, life sentence, Murdaugh son collapsed outside court after sitting stone-faced through dad's 6-week murder trial: source, Murderer Alex Murdaugh shaves head for latest mugshot after learning his fate, Kelly Osbourne posts first photo of baby son as he hangs out with uncle Jack, Greys Anatomy alum Isaiah Washington retiring from acting: The haters have won, Madonna watches new boyfriend Joshua Poppers fight in New York City, Kellyanne Conway and George Conway to divorce. [4], Musk met Maye Haldeman when he was 11 years old and they were childhood friends before marrying in 1970. I couldnt even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day.. "Bezos' Comments on Workers after Spaceflight Draws Rebuke." The child, a boy named Elliot Rush, is now 5 years old. There is a more nuanced conversation to be had about how Elon Musk specifically and South Africas white population in general benefitted from apartheid. "I'm naturally good at engineering that's because I inherited it from my father," he told Rolling Stone. "So I became a half-owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years," Errol said. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt," Elon tweeted in December 2019. [10][11] Musk told Agence France-Presse that he was a strict father who raised his children with discipline and austerity. [2] In 1969, he became a 50% owner of an emerald mine on Lake Tanganyika,[2][5] that he bought for 40,000, funded by selling an airplane for 80,000 (the equivalent of 320,000 today). To add to the truth, we went to Boston Chicken in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving because we couldnt afford a turkey. Errols other children we also shocked and uncomfortable about the surprise pregnancy. . Musk may not be a great guy, but I fail to see any apartheid link to his fathers emerald mine., @grard97 tweeted, Remind: Elon Musk owns an electric and autonomous car companyA private space landing rockets companyAn AI companyA Neuroscience companyA Solar Panel and energy storage companyThe WHOLE bank on the internet was started by him (yes, your credit card as well), @C49015142 tweeted, I thought I read in Malcolm Gladwells book David and Goliath that his company received $500 million from the US government, so we are all subsidizing him. ERROL IS A RETIRED SOUTH AFRICAN ENGINEER.
How A Rumor About Elon Musk's Family Emerald Mine Fortune Took A Life Hull, Dana, and Patrick May. Note: Reporting from Esquire.com said that Elon moved from South Africa to Canada in 1988. Some of his most vocal detractors have promoted the idea that Musk, like Trump, began his career backed by the deep pockets of dear old dad. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. Errol and Heide eventually divorced after an 18-year marriage. Instead, we will concentrate on the two Business Insider South Africa articles mentioned by Arnold that appeared to provide the roots of the "apartheid emerald mine" rumor. TheSouthAfrican.com is all about South Africa and the stories that affect South Africans, wherever they are in the world. "They didn't like it.". "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story." I can't see any reason not to. "'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." 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred. It was authored by Jeremy Arnold with The Save Journalism Committee. 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. "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." So it was very formative for him. All rights reserved. The New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2009, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/08/24/plugged-in. If I could have another child I would. 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. He also claimed, "My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years.". 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. Elon Musk isn't innovative. 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. 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. 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. Chromatica Warrior @DebbieTweeted Can he be held responsible for his dads ethics tho? 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. Note: The reference to Zip2 concerned Elon's "first enterprise" in 1995. Clash, Jim. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. This is why people are switching to @TheBabylonBee! Musk wrote.
Musk, Bezos, Gates: How these billionaires got their start ---. His tweet is now viral with over 9.1 million views. 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. 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. "There's no evidence whatsoever of an 'emerald mine,'" the last part of the tweet read. Errol owned one of the largest homes in Pretoria and took his children on many overseas trips, according to the book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, written by Ashlee Vance. SpaceX, his rocket company, is valued at $20 billion-plus. The article's headline was changed in late July or early August 2020, which appeared to be after Errol made his Facebook poston July 27, which called the dated article's claims into question. But little else is known about Errol outside of his native South Africa, where he has made a name for himself as a high-powered engineer, property developer and political advocate who vehemently opposed apartheid. The emerald mine was not mentioned in that interview. Its so terrible, you cant believe it.. [20] Musk has a total of seven children. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. It spoke of the divorce of Elon's parents, Errol and Maye Musk, and also contained a quick mention of an emerald mine. 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. In a February 2018 interview with Business Insider South Africa, Musk's father said he did own half share in an emerald mine in Zambia. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he once owned half of an emerald mine in Zambia, which he claimed to have purchased on a whim. He seemed very sad and lonely by himself. As Arnold noted, the headline for this story was later corrected more than two years after it was published, sometime around late July or early August 2020,according to page captures from the Internet Archive. We did not receive a response from Forbes PR. "My brother and I paid for college through scholarships, loans and working two jobs simultaneously. According to reporting we reviewed, the stake his father had in the emerald mine appeared to have both started and ended in the 1980s. 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. Elon, 51, was brought to tears discussing his dad in a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, describing him as evil and a terrible human being.. ", According to the story, Errol said that Elon "once walked the streets of New York with emeralds in his pocket." The emerald mine story, reported in 2018 in Business Insider, tells how, in the mid-1980s, Errol acquired a half-share in a Zambian emerald mine, which would help to fund his familys lavish lifestyle of yachts, skiing holidays, and expensive computers.. In December 2019, Elon denied the emerald mine-and-lavish-lifestyle story on Twitter, saying it was a lie. And I was too scared to tell anyone [about his violence]," Maye told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. Bridges to Italy tweeted, Yeah, hes not that bright, just like the guy who started this thread. ", 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.". Arnold, Jeremy. Where is this bs coming from?" 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.. Curiously, Errol has said nothing more about the controversial emerald mine story in the years since, even in recent interviews like his discussion with Forbes last year. Musk's father, Errol, an engineer, married Maye when she was 22, and Musk was born shortly . 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. Ive tried everything. The way Errol tells it, that all started with an inconvenient religious holiday. According to a Facebook post from Errol, the Zambian emerald mine he held a stake in "collapsed in 1989. According to media reports Errol reportedly owned an emerald mine in Zambia near Lake Tanganyika which enabled his family to live in luxury at the time. For a while, I thought things were so obvious that everyone must know this., However, Elon has disputed claims that he grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was married to Maye Musk and also to Heide Musk, with whom he has two children, Alexandra and Rose.
Viral: When Elon Musk's bank account was in negative due to student The 51-year-old has refuted claims that he grew up rich amid statements that his father Errol owned an emerald mine in South Africa. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. 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. Several decades ago, Errol allegedly shot and killed three armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home. He will plan evil. The Save Journalism Committee, 9 Mar. Arnold's story included answers from Errol about the mine, who said he had "very limited involvement" in it. 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. 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?
Did Elon Musk's Father Really Own Half of an Emerald Mine? - Market Realist He's having a tantrum, like a spoilt child. 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. Errol made money by consulting and developing properties, Forbes reported. An avid pilot and sailor, as well as an electrical and mechanical engineer, he made his money consulting and developing properties and retired early. It didn't work out too well in the end," he said. "In my experience, there is nothing you can do," he added. One of their homes was in Waterkloof, a leafy suburb of Pretoria that was popular with foreign diplomats. In that way, Errol might be like estranged Elon after all. ", In the post, he claimed that his family stood in opposition to apartheid, saying he went so far as to be elected as a Pretoria city councillor to aid that opposition. Musk's defenders have also pointed out that Errol's alleged trade took place in the mid-1980s, at which point Zambia was independent. Reich, theformer secretary of labor under U.S. President Bill Clinton and a professor of public policy at University of California, Berkeley, had tweeted,"Elon Musk came from a family that owned an emerald mine in apartheid South Africa." I couldn't even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. 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. ---. I'm going to wait until he comes to his senses. On March 25, 2021, Elon Musktweetedthat the emerald mine inheritance rumor was false, and that he had arrived by himself in Canada in 1989 "with ~CA$2,500." In the interview, Musk's father explained that he bought his share of the emerald mine after selling a plane. https://web.archive.org/. "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? "I screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. At the conference, Elon talked to some professors who told Errol, This boy needs to get his hands on one of these computers. He had this sense that it was definitely not a safe place to be, and he had to get the hell out.. Still, it wasarchived by the Internet Archive. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done," Elon said. In 2017, family members were left stunned when Jana became pregnant with Errols baby. "Can Elon Musk Really Get Us To Mars Within 10 Years?" So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.". Errol built his wealth as a prominent electromechanical engineer and entrepreneur in South Africa, reports The South African. Former Tesla employees have reported racist behavior and attempted to sue over it. On July 28, 2014, Forbes.com published an interview with Elon Musk, which was conducted by Jim Clash.
Errol Musk Net Worth: Inside the Fortune of Elon Musk's Dad "Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know? The 76-year-old hasnt ruled out having more children, saying: The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce.. But by many accounts, the issues at the Tesla factory go beyond the need for a thick skin, New York Times reported. "But I mean, we were living together. Elon was a witness to this, bullets flying around, Cattrell further claimed.
"And we got emeralds for the next six years.". "There was just stacks of money and he paid me out, 80,000, it was a huge amount of money." Errol and Elons feud has reportedly been exacerbated by the patriarchs eyebrow-raising relationships. 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. And he had a disastrous relationship with his father. You could tell by the way that he told the story. "We were very wealthy. I wish. They also emphasize anecdotes from Elon and his mother about the hard work and squalor they endured in Canada in those years. 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. Snopes and the Snopes.com logo are registered service marks of Snopes.com, Image Via PHILIP PACHECO/AFP via Getty Images. However, again, the story was at least partially unavailable on that website, too. Business Insider South Africa, 28 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/how-elon-musks-family-came-to-own-an-emerald-mine-2018-2.