So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.". In the interview, Musk's father explained that he bought his share of the emerald mine after selling a plane. ", In 2018, he explained that he was helping Jana get over a breakup at the time of Rushi's conception, but he initially assumed the baby's father was Jana's ex. Not all the tweets were supportive of Elon. Elon may have been 6 or 7 years old at the time and begged his dad to get him a ticket to a very early computer conference in South Africa. "But I mean, we were living together. Elon Musk came from a family that owned an emerald mine in Apartheid South Africa. Errol told Business Insider South Africa that he co-owned an emerald mine in Zambia. R/EnoughMuskSpam via Reddit.com, 5 Dec. 2019, www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/e6j76f/his_family_stole_an_emerald_mine/. While in Djibouti, he and his co-pilot sold their plane to some Italian nationals. So we decided to head back to Lake Tanganyika from where we were, I think we were in Djibouti., Errol Musk (father of one Elon Musk) on raising one of the world's most famous billionaires: http://t.co/Fg8xmqN1L0 pic.twitter.com/LVJyMdebZK. Copyright Blue Sky Publications Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 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. In 1972, Errol was elected to the Pretoria City Council in his native South Africa. [22] He is estranged from his son Elon. 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. In 2018, Errol Musk interviewed Business Insider South Africa, where he told a story about bartering his way into partial ownership of an emerald mine in Zambia. He also called the whole rumor "BS.". We were very wealthy. So I became a half owner of the mine, and we got emeralds for the next six years.. However, any reconciliation was apparently short-lived. Theyre the same, except for the fact that he is a billionaire, started multiple successful companies and doesnt live in his mothers basement. Earlier in this story, we referenced a July 3, 2020, tweet from Elon that mentioned Vance's interview. 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. And we spent three weeks making our rent-controlled apartment livable in Toronto, Maye tweeted. "We were lonely, lost people," Errol said. 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. One of their homes was in Waterkloof, a leafy suburb of Pretoria that was popular with foreign diplomats. Note: Less than two weeks after Arnold's piece was published in 2021, the satirical website The Onion printed a story with the headline, "The Richest Person In Every State And How They Made Their Money." In the interview, the Tesla owner briefly mentioned that his father had a share in an emerald mine in Zambia. "Nothing, nothing. 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. Elon would later get his own pilot's license but no longer has time to fly. Errol himself has an adventurous streak and is an avid sailor and pilot. After obtaining the mine, he tells that he had so much money, that 'he couldn't close his safe'. "He didn't own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt," Elon tweeted in December 2019. Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Image via Instagram @mayemusk. "Who Is Elon Musk's Estranged Father? He was only physically violent when I was very young., He also said, You have no idea about how bad. Errol Musk is a South African electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. 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. His tweet is now viral with over 9.1 million views. [10][11] Musk told Agence France-Presse that he was a strict father who raised his children with discipline and austerity. I couldn't even afford a 2nd PC at Zip2, so programmed at night & website only worked during day. [1] His father was a South African veteran of World War II and his mother was British. His father, Errol Musk, had a casual attitude towards the family's considerable wealth, including the stones that came from the Zambian emerald mine in which Errol owned a half share. The same story appeared to have also been published the day before with the headline, "A teenage Elon Musk once casually sold his father's emeralds to Tiffany & Co. while his dad was sleeping. 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? In his interview with Business Insider South Africa, Errol said that he was to blame for his divorce from model Maye Musk, with whom he shares Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. 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. It was that lifestyle, Errol says, that turned Elon into the kind of merchant adventurer who would later break the rules of the motoring business with Tesla, then go on to change spaceflight with SpaceX. How much of a Momentum Proteas Womens cricket fan are you? ", 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. Hull, Dana, and Patrick May. 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. This article forms part of the archives of Business Insider South Africa, which was published as a partnership between News24 and Insider Inc between 2018 and 2023. Chromatica Warrior @DebbieTweeted Can he be held responsible for his dads ethics tho? 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. Several decades ago, Errol allegedly shot and killed three armed intruders who broke into his Johannesburg home. " he told the outlet. [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. 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.". Regardless of your opinion of him, he is aself-made billionaire." [9], Errol Musk's claims that he invested in Elon Musk's software company Zip2 have been rejected by Elon Musk. I couldnt even afford a second [computer] at [web software company] Zip2, so [I] programmed at night and the website only worked during the day. In an interview with Business Insider South Africa, Errol admitted that, at one point, he literally made more money than he could physically handle. Our offices are for administrative purposes only, no visitors will be accepted without an appointment. 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. mark_able_jones_. "Like every abused woman, I was embarrassed, and I knew I had made a mistake, you know? Photo: Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post/Getty Images; Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, Elon Musk and Amber Heard's Relationship Timeline, Elon Musk Claims He Had 'No Choice' But to Make Mass Layoffs at Twitter, Elon Musk Buys Twitter for $44B Following Legal Battle with Company, Fires Top Execs: Reports, Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey Apologizes Following Layoffs at the Company After Elon Musk's Takeover, Twitter to Lay Off Several Employees Over Email amid Elon Musk Takeover: Reports, Employees Suing Twitter In Response to Elon Musk's Plans for Mass Layoffs, Elon Musk Goes to Heidi Klum's Halloween Party as Stars Vow to Leave Twitter Over Controversy, When Will Donald Trump Return to Twitter? "Elon Musk Is the Hero America Deserves." He didnt own an emerald mine & I worked my way through college, ending up ~$100k in student debt. 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.. "Errol also quoted a lower number to me over the phone," Arnold wrote. Errol named his price, and a deal was done. Where is this B.S. Errol Musk says teenage Elon Musk once casually walked around with emeralds in his pocket. "I Talked to Elon Musk about Journalism and the Blood Emeralds Story." Business Insider South Africa, 22 Feb. 2018, https://www.businessinsider.co.za/elon-musk-sells-the-family-emeralds-in-new-york-2018-2. ERROL IS A RETIRED SOUTH AFRICAN ENGINEER. Jordan Liles is a Snopes reporter with expertise in investigating misinformation, inauthentic social media activity, and scams. - February 10, 2021 02:34 pm EST. Aside from that hes just dumb. We reached out to Clash and Forbes PR to ask why the interview was no longer available. [13] After engaging in extra-marital affairs,[4] Errol and Maye divorced in 1979, and both sons moved in with their father. "I screwed up the marriage, I was totally responsible. It is often claimed that Musk's father, Errol Musk, once owned shares in a Zambian emerald mine, and that Musk subsequently enjoyed an . However, in the recent Channel 4 documentary Elon Musk: Superhero or Supervillain, co-founder of SpaceX, Jim Cattrell, claimed Elon was home at the time. "Is It True That Elon Musk's Family Got Their Wealth from Apartheid Emerald Mining?" Errols other children we also shocked and uncomfortable about the surprise pregnancy. Other companies started by Musk include Neuralink, which is working on developing implantable brainmachine interfaces. "Elon Musk's family owns an emerald mine" was corrected to "Elon Musk's family once owned an emerald mine." Musk's father, Errol, an engineer, married Maye when she was 22, and Musk was born shortly . "He also claims he was getting emeralds from other sources, with only 60-70% coming from this venture." "There was just stacks of money and he paid me out, 80,000, it was a huge amount of money." An avid pilot and sailor, as well as an electrical and mechanical engineer, he made his money consulting and developing properties and retired early. My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. He will plan evil, Elon tearfully told Rolling Stone in 2017. "Zip2." Elon called the story "actually accurate." By email, Clash told us he had no idea why it was no longer hosted by Forbes. I said, Oh, all right. Theyd seen I was sleeping in one morning, and they said, Oh lets just try, lets go.. "Back when I was ~$100k negative with student debt," he wrote. ", 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. coming from?. "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? 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. 2021, https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-Elon-Musks-family-got-their-wealth-from-apartheid-emerald-mining. He also claimed, "My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years.". To summarize Arnold's story would be difficult, as it contained a considerable amount of data and analysis. All the Musk siblings did well, Forbes reported. Almost every crime you can possibly think of, he has done," Elon said. "'His Family Stole an Emerald Mine.'" Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. Journalism strengthens democracy. 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. Im not sure if replying to a satire site and amplifying their articles reach is necessarily the best idea, but Musk felt that this was a hill worth dying on.