Does Elon Musk hate South Africa, or what?
Does the South African-born billionaire hate South Africa, or do his often-contradictory statements reflect something more troubling?
Based on verified public statements, it’s hard to argue that Elon Musk doesn’t hate South Africa. In 2025, since the inauguration of President Trump, the South African-born billionaire has seemingly gone on daily tirades against the country of his birth. Just this week he denounced Land Expropriation, labelled Julius Malema an ‘international criminal’, and called on Afrikaners to apply for US refugee status.
DOES ELON MUSK HATE SOUTH AFRICA?
However, does he really hate South Africa? And, if so, what sowed the seeds for the mega mogul’s ire against his homeland? Elon Musk’s connection to South Africa is a deeply complex one. Born in Pretoria in 1971, Musk spent his early years in a country divided by apartheid. Over the decades, in various interviews, he described his childhood as ‘not easy’. Firstly, he was severely bullied at Bryanston High School, before transferring to Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS).
As an old boy of the latter, I can share a telling story by a former headmaster who approached Musk for a donation. Musk apparently resented the advance from his former school. And after a back and forth, he finally caved and donated an undisclosed amount on the assurance they never contact him again. A telling interaction about his mindset towards South Africa if ever there was one …
SOUTH AFRICA: A VIOLENT PLACE
In Rolling Stone in 2017, Musk offered further insight into his South African upbringing. “South Africa was quite a violent place. There was a lot of anti-white feeling when I was there. It was really quite dangerous,” said Musk. However, he’s also acknowledged his privileged position during apartheid. Intimating in a 2014 interview that he was raised in a white suburban family and was aware of the systemic inequalities of apartheid at the time.
Could Musk hate South Africa due to the difficult relationship with his father Errol? Elon’s dad is an electromechanical engineer, pilot, and sailor. In numerous interviews, Musk has described his father as a ‘terrible human being’. However, in typically contradictory manner, he’s simultaneously acknowledged Errol’s influence on his technical interests. “My father had a good mind for engineering,” Musk told biographer Ashlee Vance. Although he’s generally avoided elaborating further on their relationship.
LEFT TO AVOID MILITARY SERVICE
Elon Musk left South Africa at age 17, first for Canada, then the United States. And, if reports are to be believed, his main goal at the time was to avoid mandatory military service in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Since then, he’s rarely returned and seldom spoken publicly about his homeland, except, of course, in the last month on social-media platform X.
So, does Elon Musk hate South Africa because of BEE? Well, what’s particularly notable is his minimal business engagement with South Africa. Despite launching global enterprises, neither Tesla nor SpaceX have any significant operations in the country. A BusinessLive columnist recently proffered that this is due to the country’s BEE policies. The billionaire simply sees no reason why his companies/intellectual property should be diluted with a local BEE partner. This, in turn, is costing the country lucrative foreign investment.
CIVIC DUTY TO AMERICA
Of course, Musk’s relationship with South Africa appears to be in a state of flux due to his growing civic involvement in American politics. His recent interactions with various South African political figures about democratic processes have garnered significant attention.
Nevertheless, Musk’s relationship with his birthplace seems to reflect the inherently complicated nature of white South African identity itself, its unique mixture of historical conflict and innate privilege. Does Elon Musk hate South Africa? Only the man himself will be able to truthfully answer that …
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MUSK AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH SOUTH AFRICA?
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