Errol Musk

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Errol Musk
Musk in 2025
Member of the Pretoria City Council
In office
1972–1983
Personal details
Born (1946-05-25) 25 May 1946 (age 79)
Pretoria, South Africa
Political partyProgressive Federal Party (1980–1983)
Independent (1972-1980)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1979)​

Sue Musk
​
(divorced)​

Heide Bezuidenhout
​
​
(m. 1992; div. 2004)​
Domestic partnerJana Bezuidenhout
Children7
3 with Maye: Elon, Kimbal, Tosca;
2 with Heide, 2 with Jana
Alma materUniversity of Pretoria
Errol Musk's voice
Errol Musk speaks on the Rivonia Trial
Recorded May 12, 2025

Errol Graham Musk (born 25 May 1946) is a South African businessman, politician, and the patriarch of the Musk family.[1] He was a member of Pretoria City Council from 1972 to 1983, and was a member of the Progressive Federal Party from 1980 to 1983 before resigning over political disagreements. As a businessman, he worked as a mechanical engineering consultant, developed properties, and invested in various ventures including emerald trading.

Musk married Maye Haldeman in 1970, and they had three children: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. Haldeman divorced him in 1979, saying he was abusive. He has since had two other marriages and four other children. His son Elon, who is the wealthiest person in the world, has called him a "terrible human being."[2]

Early life

[edit]

Errol Graham Musk was born to Walter and Cora Amelia Musk (née Robinson) in Pretoria on 25 May 1946. His father was South African and his mother was English. He attended Clapham High School, where he began a relationship with Maye Haldeman,[3] whom he married in 1970.[4] The family lived in Pretoria, where Maye worked as a dietitian and a model.[3] Their first child, Elon Reeve Musk, was born on 28 June 1971, named after Maye's grandfather J. Elon Haldeman, with Reeve being her maternal grandmother's maiden name.[3][1]

Career

[edit]

On 9 March 1972, Musk was elected as an independent to represent Sunnyside on the Pretoria City Council.[5][4][6][7] In 1980[8] he became a member of the Progressive Federal Party, the new official opposition formed in 1977, and ran as their Sunnyside nominee in the 1981 election.[4][9] In 1983 his resignation from the PFP over its stance towards the constitutional referendum was front-page news for the ruling National Party's organ Die Burger, which portrayed the opposition as divided.[9][10] Musk rebelled against the PFP's call for rejecting the new constitution and cited his agreement with the New Republic Party's position that the Tricameral Parliament was a step in the right direction.[8]

Musk studied electromechanics at the University of Pretoria, worked as an electrical and mechanical engineering consultant, and developed properties,[1] especially retail and office property development. His lucrative engineering business took on "large projects such as office buildings, retail complexes, residential subdivisions, and an air force base." He also owned an auto parts store, at least half a share in an emerald mine, and even "one of the biggest houses in Pretoria."[11] His ex-wife Maye's book recalls that at the time of their divorce in 1979, he owned two homes, a yacht, a plane, five luxury cars, and a truck.[12]

In the early 1980s, Errol built a lodge in the Timbavati Game Reserve to rent to tourists.[7]

In 1986, he acquired rights to the output of three Zambian emerald mines, though he did not own the mines themselves. In interviews with Walter Isaacson he explained, "If you registered it, you would wind up with nothing, because the Blacks would take everything from you",[7] He later referred to his wealth during Elon's teen years in an interview with Business Insider South Africa, saying he had "so much money we couldn't even close our safe" and mentioned his emerald dealings.[13][14] Snopes confirmed that at some point he owned "a stake in an emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika in Zambia."[15] He once described his emerald mine as an "under the table" operation.[16]

According to the 2015 biography of Elon Musk, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, in 1995 Errol Musk gave US$28,000 to Elon and Kimbal as they were starting up the software company Zip2.[17] Elon has denied receiving the money from his father.[17]

In a January 2025 video interview, Errol Musk stated that governance in South Africa has deteriorated.[18]

In January 2025, Errol endorsed a meme coin called "Musk It" and revealed that he planned to raise $200 million for the Musk Institute via this project.[19][20]

In February 2025, Musk arranged a phone call between his son Elon and the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, during which the two discussed the impact of Donald Trump's policies on South Africa.[21] In April 2025 Musk praised Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, in an interview with BBC News Russian. He said, "it would be foolish not to admire Putin." He also implied Russia was not responsible for the war in Ukraine, and claimed his entire family supported Putin.[22]

Family life

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In 1979, Musk and his wife Maye divorced.[3][23] In her memoir, Maye characterized her marriage as abusive and alleged Errol had been violent.[24] She recounts a time during their divorce when she sought refuge at a neighbour's home after Errol showed up with a knife looking for her.[12] After the divorce, Musk repeatedly sued his ex-wife for custody of their children.[12] He was briefly married to a woman named Sue.[12]

In the early 1990s, Errol, then aged 45, married Heide Bezuidenhout, a 25-year-old he described as "one of the best-looking women I've ever seen in my life."[25] He had two daughters with Bezuidenhout.[26]

In March 2018, it was reported that Musk had fathered a child with his adult step-daughter, Heidi's daughter Jana Bezuidenhout.[26][27] In July 2022 he gave an interview to the tabloid newspaper The Sun, announcing that he and Bezuidenhout had another child.[28][29] Musk has a total of seven children, according to People magazine in November 2022.[13] He once commented, "The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce."[30]

Opinions about Elon

[edit]

In 2022, Musk stated he was "not proud" of Elon.[31] In 2024, he defended Elon after the latter said that the United Kingdom was heading towards a civil war.[32] In January 2025, he defended his son's remarks but also urged people to ignore them.[33]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hull, Dana; May, Patrick (20 April 2014). "Exploring the otherworldly ambitions of Elon Musk". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  2. ^ Bernstein, Jacob (21 February 2025). "Do Elon Musk and His Father Get Along?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d Holson, Laura M. (30 April 2016). "At 68, Maye Musk, the Mother of Elon, Is Reclaiming the Spotlight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Vlismas, Michael (2022). Elon Musk: Risking it All. Jonathan Ball Publishers. ISBN 978-1776191857.
  5. ^ Eligon, John; Chutel, Lynsey (5 May 2022). "Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Reaction against the Establishment." (Mar 9, 1972) Pretoria News, cited in Isaacson
  7. ^ a b c Isaacson, Walter (12 September 2023). Elon Musk. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-3985-2751-5 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b Shandler, David (1991). Structural Crisis and Liberalism: A History of the Progressive Federal Party, 1981–1989 (MA thesis). University of Cape Town.
  9. ^ a b Sussman, Gary (2003). The referendum in F.W. de Klerk's war of manoeuvre: An historical institutionalist account of the 1992 referendum (PDF) (PhD thesis). London School of Economics.
  10. ^ "The reported resignation of Errol Musk, the PFP candidate for Sunnyside (Pretoria) election was made a front-page story. Die Burger. 4 October 1983"
  11. ^ Friend, Tad (10 October 2014). "Plugged In - The New Yorker". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. ^ a b c d Musk, Maye (31 December 2019). A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-9848-7851-9 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ a b Sager, Jessica (7 November 2022). "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? All About Errol Musk". People. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  14. ^ Wet, Phillip de (23 February 2018). "'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". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  15. ^ Liles, Jordan (17 November 2022). "What We Know About Elon Musk and the Emerald Mine Rumor". Snopes. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
  16. ^ Mahdawi, Arwa (25 April 2023). "What's that going up in flames? Why, it's Elon Musk's reputation". The Guardian.
  17. ^ a b Hahn, Jason (26 March 2018). "Inside the Complicated Relationship Between Elon Musk and His Estranged Father, Errol Musk". People. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  18. ^ NewsNation (22 January 2025). Elon Musk changed after Biden snubbed him, father Errol says | Cuomo. Retrieved 25 January 2025 – via YouTube.
  19. ^ Schwartz, Leo. "Inside Errol Musk's foray into the volatile world of memecoins". fortune.com. Fortune. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  20. ^ Cameron, Hugh (31 January 2025). "Elon Musk's Father Launches Own Meme Coin". newsweek.com. Newsweek. Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  21. ^ Skweyiya, Sisipho; Roelf, Wendell (5 February 2025). "Musk's dad says he arranged son's call with South African leader". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  22. ^ Taradiuk, Yuliia (4 April 2025). "'It would be foolish not to admire Putin' — Elon Musk's father Errol swoons over Russian President". kyivindependent.com. Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
  23. ^ Friend, Tad (24 August 2009). "Plugged In". New Yorker. Vol. 85, no. 25. pp. 50–59.
  24. ^ "Maye Musk on Escaping Domestic Abuse and Raising Three Geniuses (Including Elon) on Her Own". Harper's BAZAAR. 15 November 2019.
  25. ^ Mier, Tomás (14 July 2022). "Like Father Like Son: Elon Musk's Dad Has Secret Second Kid With Stepdaughter". Rolling Stone.
  26. ^ a b Crilly, Rob (25 March 2018). "Elon Musk's father has baby with step-daughter he has known since she was four". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 26 April 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  27. ^ Gillespie, James (25 March 2018). "Elon Musk's 'evil' father has a baby with stepdaughter". thetimes.com. The Times. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  28. ^ Sharma, Shweta (15 July 2022). "Elon Musk's father confirms second child with his own stepdaughter - report". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  29. ^ Biggs, Jade (16 July 2022). "Elon Musk's dad reveals he fathered an "unplanned" child with his stepdaughter". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  30. ^ Olinga, Luc (18 July 2022). "Errol Musk, Elon's Dad, Prompts a New Controversy". thestreet.com. The Street. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  31. ^ Oladipo, Gloria (1 August 2022). "Elon Musk's father says he isn't proud of his son". The Guardian.
  32. ^ "Elon Musk's father defends son over UK civil war prediction". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  33. ^ "'Tell Him to Get Lost': Musk's Dad Urges Public to Ignore His Son". The Daily Beast. 7 January 2025.