Is Elon Musk proud to be South African, and will he ever return? Here’s how his dad Errol responded to these burning questions…

elon musk, errol musk, south africa

Is Elon Musk proud to be a South African? Images via X: @elonmusk/Pixabay

While Elon Musk has described his country of birth as “violent,” “dangerous,” and having a “white genocide,” his father, Errol, insists that he is “proud to be South African.”

The Cape Town businessman – whose firstborn is the world’s richest man – shared his comments in a tell-all interview on Podcast and Chill on Thursday, 14 November.

Elon boasts three citizenships: South African, Canadian, and American.

IS ELON MUSK PROUD TO BE SOUTH AFRICAN?

Elon Musk was born in 1971 in Pretoria to Errol and Maye Musk. After finishing his high school education, he moved to Canada – his mother’s country of birth – at just 17 years old.

Elon later settled in the US, where he became a naturalised citizen in 2002. He founded several lucrative businesses like SpaceX, Tesla, and PayPal, amongst many others. In 2021, Forbes named him the World’s Richest Man – a title he has maintained for the most part.

While Elon rarely talks positively about his country of birth, his dad, Errol, claims he is “proud” of being a South African.

Appearing to try to save face, Errol told Podcast and Chill’s MacG: “Oh yeah… Remember, he is up against an A-Team there.”

Steering the focus away from Elon, he claimed his daughter Tosca wore “African clothes and jewellery” and that his son Kimbal “would like to have a bush farm here.”

He added: “They are very happy with their background.”

@lazmore_18 #Trump #elonmusk #Musk #southafrica #SAMA28 #Relateable #fyp #macgpodcast ♬ original sound – Lazmore_

When asked if Elon Musk would ever return to SA, Errol claimed that it was unlikely as the US “is where his interests lie.”

He quickly added: “He’s been back here quite a few times. He comes secretly because he gets special private treatment”.

DOES HE CONSIDER HIMSELF SOUTH AFRICAN?

In 2021, Elon Musk was asked on the X app (then Twitter) what nationality he identified as.

“American, but born in South Africa. Left by myself when I was 17”, he responded.

Elon officially moved to the US in 1995 – almost 30 years ago – meaning he has lived longer in America than he has in SA.