Errol Musk
South African politician and businessman (born 1946) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Errol Graham Musk (born 1946) is a South African businessman and politician, patriarch of the Musk family, and father of Elon Musk.[1] He served on the Pretoria City Council, and became a member of South Africa's Progressive Federal Party 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.
Errol Musk | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pretoria City Council | |
| In office 1972–1983 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1946 (age 78–79) Pretoria, South Africa |
| Political party | Progressive Federal Party (1980–1983) |
| Spouse(s) |
Sue Musk (divorced)Heide Bezuidenhout
(m. 1992; div. 2004) |
| Domestic partner | Jana Bezuidenhout |
| Children | 7 3 with Maye: Elon, Kimbal, Tosca; 2 with Heide, 2 with Jana |
| Alma mater | University of Pretoria |
Errol Musk had three children with his first wife Maye Haldeman: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. Haldeman divorced him, saying he was abusive. Errol Musk had two other marriages and four other children. He faced criticism from his son Elon, who called him a "terrible human being".[2]
Early life
Musk was born to Walter and Cora Amelia Musk (née Robinson). His father was South African, and his mother English. Errol attended Clapham High School, where he dated Maye Haldeman,[3] and the pair married in 1970.[4]: 44 The family lived in Pretoria, where Maye worked as a dietitian and a model.[3] Their first child, Elon Reeve Musk, was born on June 28, 1971, named after Maye's grandfather J. Elon Haldeman, with Reeve being her maternal grandmother's maiden name.[3][1]
Career
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Perspective
On March 9, 1972, Musk was elected as an independent to represent Sunnyside on the Pretoria City Council.[5][4]: 52 [6][7] In 1980,[8]: 71 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]: 52 [9]: 225, fn 119 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]: 225, fn 119 [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]: 71–72
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]: ch. 3
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]: ch. 1 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 titled Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, in 1995, Errol Musk gave $28,000 to Elon and Kimbal as they were starting up the software company Zip2.[17] Elon Musk 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, Errol arranged a phone call between his son Elon and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, on which the two discussed the impact of Donald Trump's policies on South Africa.[21] In April 2025 Musk praised Russian leader Vladimir Putin in an interview with BBC Russia saying that "It would be foolish not to admire Putin." and implying that Russia was not responsible for the war in Ukraine. Musk also claimed that his entire family supported Putin.[22]
Family life
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Perspective
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 neighbor'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] Heidi's daughter Jana Bezuidenhout, then four, became Errol's stepdaughter,[26][27] and later his romantic partner (and subsequently mother of two children together). Errol and Heidi also had two children of their own.[26]
In March 2018, it was reported that Errol had fathered a child with his adult step-daughter Jana Bezuidenhout.[26][28] In July 2022, Errol gave an interview to the tabloid newspaper The Sun, announcing that he and Jana Bezuidenhout had another child.[29][30] Musk has a total of seven children, according to People magazine in November 2022.[13] Errol once commented, "The only thing we are on Earth for is to reproduce."[31]
Opinions about Elon
In 2022, Errol stated he was "not proud" of Elon.[32] In 2024, Errol defended Elon after the latter said that the United Kingdom was heading towards a civil war.[33] In January 2025, he defended his son's remarks but also urged people to ignore them.[34]
References
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