Elon’s parents split up in 1979. His father is an engineer and like Elon, was born in South Africa. In the 2015 biography Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, author Ashlee Vance wrote that Elon and his dad had a difficult relationship. In a 2017 Rolling Stone interview, Elon said his father “was such a terrible human being” who will “plan evil,” and shed tears discussing him.
In response, Elon’s dad told the magazine, “I’ve been accused of being a Gay, a Misogynist, a Paedophile, a Traitor, a Rat, a S–t (quite often), a Bastard (by many women whose attentions I did not return) and much more. My own (wonderful) mother told me I am ‘ruthless’ and should learn to be more ‘humane.'” However, he also wrote, “I love my children and would readily do whatever for them.”
After divorcing Elon’s mother Maye, Errol married Heidi, mother of Jana Bezuidenhout, who was 4 years old at the time. Errol and Heidi went on to have two more children before divorcing after 18 years. In 2017, Errol and Jana had a baby together, son Elliot.
“We were lonely, lost people,” Errol told the U.K.’s Sunday Times in 2018. “One thing led to another—you can call it God’s plan or nature’s plan.”
He said he did not consider Jana his stepdaughter and that she was raised away from the family for long periods of time. He said he helps support he and their son and sees them regularly, although he does not live with them.