Elon Musk has shared many aspects of his life with the public, sometimes through platform X and other times through interviews, but one chapter remains dark: his strained relationship with his father, Errol Musk. According to a New York Times investigation, the rift is not only due to personal differences but relates to allegations of sexual abuse of children directed against the 79-year-old.
The allegations involve five children, both step and biological, in South Africa and California, with evidence from relatives, social workers and official records. The first allegation was made in 1993 by his four-year-old stepdaughter, while later claims include the abuse of two girls, a stepson and a five-year-old son in 2023.
Three separate police investigations were launched against Errol Musk, according to police and court records, but two were closed without result, while the outcome of the third remains unclear. He has not been convicted of any crime and denies all charges, saying they are “lies aimed at extracting money from Elon Musk.”
Elon Musk: Relatives Asked for His Help – “We See the Children Suffering Daily”
The situation has caused deep rifts in the Musk family. Relatives have repeatedly approached Elon Musk asking for his help. In a 2010 letter, one relative wrote: “Please, we need your advice, help and guidance, because we see the children suffering daily.”
It’s unclear if Elon ever read the letter, but his assistant had communicated with family members. He has provided financial support to a former stepmother, half-sisters and a former stepsister, while trying to keep them away from his father, especially when they lived in California.
Elon Musk’s Public Admission About Bad Relations with His Father
Errol Musk has been married three times and has at least nine biological and stepchildren. Among them is his stepdaughter, whom he was accused of abusing as a child. He later had a child with her when she was an adult, something that has caused scandal.
Elon Musk has publicly acknowledged his bad relationship with his father. In a 2017 interview, he tearfully stated that Errol had done “almost every evil thing you can think of.” In his authorized biography in 2023, he emphasized that he has no contact with him.
Errol claims he maintains a good relationship with Elon Musk, although Elon has stated the opposite. In recent years, Errol Musk appears to be trying to exploit his son’s name through various business schemes, such as a cryptocurrency and a supposed “Musk Tower” in Dubai, which he ultimately denied implementing.
Despite the enormous distance that has been created, the disturbing allegations surrounding Errol Musk continue to weigh on Elon Musk and overshadow his professional and personal life, as well as the “empire” he has built.
The Intense Life of Errol Musk
Errol Musk was born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, where he quickly gained a reputation as a rising businessman. In his 20s and 30s, he was a partner in an engineering company and a member of the city council.
In 1970, he married nutritionist and model Maye Haldeman (Elon Musk’s mother). Together they had three children: Elon, Tosca and Kimbal. However, the marriage collapsed in 1979. Maye Musk later reported that she had suffered physical and verbal abuse, claims that Errol denied.
Elon Musk has described his father as a harsh and unsympathetic man. In his official 2023 biography, he recalled that when he lost a fight at school, his father scolded him for an hour. “He had no compassion at all,” he said characteristically.
Although he lived with him for years after his parents’ divorce in 1979, he later admitted: “It was a terrible decision. I hadn’t yet realized how horrible he was.”
Errol Musk remarried, this time to model Sue Wilson. In 1989, 17-year-old Elon left South Africa for North America. His siblings and mother later followed.
In 1992, Errol married Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout, 19 years younger than him, mother of three children from her first marriage. Together they had one daughter.
In 1993, her 4-year-old daughter from her first marriage reported to the family that Errol had touched her inappropriately. Police launched an investigation, but the charges were later dropped as part of the divorce proceedings.
Bezuidenhout herself received a house, car and monthly allowance.
Errol Musk claims the courts vindicated him and awarded him custody of their daughter. However, there are no publicly available records confirming his claim.
After the divorce, Bezuidenhout was admitted to a psychiatric clinic with depression, while her three children ended up in an institution.
Around 1999, she remarried Errol Musk, with whom she had another daughter. Her three children left the institution in 2000. The couple divorced again in 2005.
