Elon Musk Leaves South Africa Full of Misinformation and

Mr. Musk’s father, Errol Musk, said in an interview with The New York Times that Elon, his brother and sister were aware from an early age that there was something wrong with the apartheid system. Errol, who was elected to the Pretoria City Council in 1972, said they would ask him about laws prohibiting Blacks from patronizing restaurants, cinemas and beaches. He said that when they go out with friends of color, they have to make calculations about what they can do safely.

“As long as she’s protected from him, that’s nonsense. They faced it every day,” recalls Errol, who said he belonged to the anti-apartheid Progressive Party. They didn’t like it, he added.

Still, Errol offered a description of their lives that underlined how far they were from the violent reality of the country. She said they got along well with black people and pointed to her children’s good relationships with staff at home, and described life in South Africa during apartheid as better and safer than it is now.

by biography About Mr. Musk, written by Ashlee Vance, Mr. Musk said that South Africa did not want to participate in mandatory military service because this could force him to join the apartheid regime, which may have contributed to his decision to leave South Africa. Africa, shortly after high school graduation.

The apartheid system has created a divide between white people, particularly those who speak Afrikaans and those who speak English like Mr. Musk’s family. Ms Cheary said that while political power lay in the Afrikaners who perfected apartheid, descendants of Dutch, German and French settlers, English-speaking white South Africans enjoyed a fortune that came to some as a birthright.

“We were the English-speaking white elite of the world,” he said. “It was literally our kingdom.”

The Pretoria Boys had a socially progressive undercurrent. The school principal participated in the freedom struggle activities; some students went to anti-apartheid meetings.