While Elon Musk is known for revolutionising space travel and electric vehicles, and now being Trump's right-hand man, but little is discussed about the man who birthed him: Errol Musk. The father of the world’s richest man has lived a life full of adventure, controversy, and scandal.
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Unlike Elon, who dominates public discourse with his tech empire, Errol prefers to remain in the shadows—except when his personal life makes the news. He has been married multiple times, faced allegations of abuse, and even admitted to an affair with his stepdaughter, with whom he now shares two children. His relationship with Elon is equally complex, marked by estrangement, accusations, and public disputes.
Who is Elon Musk’s father?
Errol Musk, born in South Africa, is an engineer, businessman, and former politician. Unlike his billionaire son, Errol has largely remained outside the tech world. However, Elon has credited his father for his own engineering skills, reports People. He once told Rolling Stone:
I'm naturally good at engineering that's because I inherited it from my father.
What's very difficult for others is easy for me. For a while, I thought things were so obvious that everyone must know this.
Coming from a family of adventurers, Errol once claimed that his parents were the first to fly a single-engine plane from South Africa to Australia. His grandmother also made history as Canada’s first-ever chiropractor. But despite these family achievements, Errol himself became known for something quite different—controversy.
One of his most debated claims is his supposed co-ownership of an emerald mine in Zambia. Speaking to Business Insider South Africa, Errol recalled how a chance encounter led him to invest in the mine, which he said made him incredibly wealthy. He claimed:
We were very wealthy. We had so much money at times we couldn't even close our safe.
However, Elon has denied this version of events, stating on X in 2019:
He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt.
Aside from his business ventures, Errol also briefly entered politics. In 1972, he was elected to the Pretoria City Council as a member of the Progressive Party, which opposed apartheid.
In addition to his controversial business claims, Errol was involved in a deadly incident in South Africa where he shot and killed three intruders who broke into his home. He claimed he was ambushed by a group of seven armed men and acted in self-defence. Errol was charged with manslaughter but was later acquitted, stating that the court ruled his actions were justified.
Amid his controversial business claims and legal troubles, Errol Musk's personal life has been equally tumultuous, marked by multiple marriages, accusations of abuse, and strained relationships with his family.
Errol Musk’s family life
Errol married Maye Musk, a model, and together they had three children—Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca. However, their marriage ended in 1979, with Errol admitting he was ‘totally responsible’ for the split due to his infidelity, reports Newsweek. He once said:
I screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. It didn't work out too well in the end.
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. She won't speak to me or engage me if we're in the same room — which we have been often.
But according to Maye, their relationship was much more than a simple case of cheating—she has accused him of physical and emotional abuse. She told Harper's Bazaar in 2019:
Everybody I knew called him “the Pig” because he treated me so badly in public. And I was too scared to tell anyone [about his violence].
Following his divorce, Errol married Heide Bezuidenhout, a woman who already had two children from a previous relationship, including Jana Bezuidenhout. Errol and Heide had two daughters together. They eventually separated after 18 years.
Years later, in a shocking revelation, Errol admitted that he had fathered two children with Jana, his former stepdaughter, stating:
One thing led to another—you can call it God’s plan or nature’s plan.
Elon reportedly went ‘berserk’ upon hearing about this relationship. Errol, however, showed no remorse, stating in an interview with The Sun:
The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce. If I could have another child, I would. I can’t see any reason not to.
Elon’s relationship with his father explained
Elon Musk has made no secret of his disdain for his father, describing him as ‘a terrible human being’ and ‘evil’ in a Rolling Stone interview. He elaborated:
You have no idea about how bad [he is]. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done.
Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he has done … It's so terrible, you can't believe it.
He also expressed frustration that no attempt to repair their relationship had worked. He said:
I've tried everything. 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.
Adding:
In my experience, there is nothing you can do. Nothing, nothing.
Errol, on the other hand, dismisses Elon’s claims and insists that his son exaggerates. In an interview with Daily Mail, Errol said that Elon ‘needs to grow up’ and ‘get over himself.’
Despite being estranged for years, Errol has publicly commented on Elon’s work ethic and personal life, sometimes praising his achievements but also expressing concern that his son is stretching himself too thin.
Recently, Errol voiced concerns about Elon and the many roles he's taken under his wing. He said:
Elon has no eyes on anything more than trying to make sure that whatever he does now... he's able to give a proper job without affecting his own work.
I think that would be a big concern to him. Many of the meetings... he has to make with his existing companies, of which he's a chairman and CEO, is very difficult if he has to say, 'Well, I can't do that, I have to go to the government.'
This article has been created with the help of AI.
Read more:
Elon Musk's love life: All the women he married, dated, and had children with
Elon Musk says 'I’m dark MAGA' while attending Donald Trump rally: What is dark MAGA?
Sources used:
People Magazine: Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? All About Errol Musk
Newsweek: What to Know About Elon Musk's Controversial Parents
The US Sun: Elon Musk’s father claims he’s had second unplanned child with STEPDAUGHTER, 35
Yahoo!: Elon Musk's Father Is Worried About Him
