A shocking investigation has brought disturbing allegations against Errol Musk, the 79-year-old father of billionaire Elon Musk. He’s been accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren over more than thirty years, with the earliest claims dating to 1993.
The accusations have thrown the Musk family into a complicated crisis. Over the years, relatives have reached out to Elon for help and financial support, which adds another layer to his well-known estrangement from his father—a topic he rarely discusses.
Authorities in both South Africa and California have opened three separate investigations. Errol Musk denies everything and hasn’t been convicted of any crime, calling the reports “false and nonsense in the extreme.”
Key Takeaways
- Errol Musk faces allegations of sexually abusing five children and stepchildren from 1993 to 2023.
- Family members have asked Elon Musk for help, and he has provided financial support to protect relatives.
- Three police investigations happened, but Errol Musk hasn’t been convicted of any crimes.
Overview of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Errol Musk
The accusations against Errol Musk involve five children and stepchildren over three decades in both South Africa and California. Victims were reportedly between 4 and 16 years old when the abuse happened.
Scope of Accusations and Timeline
The allegations span from 1993 to 2023. The first accusation came in 1993, when his 4-year-old stepdaughter told relatives he touched her at their Pretoria home.
Five children and stepchildren have made accusations. These incidents reportedly happened in both South Africa and California.
In 2002, another incident occurred in Malibu, California. The same stepdaughter, then 14, allegedly caught Errol Musk sniffing her dirty underwear when she went back for a forgotten sweatshirt.
Other allegations include:
- Two biological daughters
- One stepson
- His 5-year-old son in 2023
Police and court records show three investigations. Two have ended, but it’s unclear where the third stands.
Profile of Alleged Victims
Errol Musk has at least nine children and stepchildren from three marriages. The alleged victims come from different relationships over the years.
The main victim named in reports is his stepdaughter from his third marriage to Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout. She was 4 years old during the first reported incident in 1993. Later, this same stepdaughter had a child with Errol Musk in her twenties.
Victim demographics:
- Ages at time of alleged abuse: 4 to 16 years old
- Relationship to Errol: Both biological children and stepchildren
- Locations: South Africa and California
- Time span: 1993 to 2023
Some victims are children from Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout’s previous marriage, before she married Errol. Her first husband died in a car accident.
Family members say some victims have struggled with drug use and mental health issues since.
Errol Musk’s Response to the Allegations
Errol Musk flatly denies the accusations, calling them “false and nonsense in the extreme.” He claims family members made up the stories to get money from Elon Musk.
He says relatives “put the children up to say false things.” Errol insists he and Elon are on good terms, claiming they “are very close.”
His main defenses:
- He says he doesn’t know about most of the allegations.
- He claims he was just cleaning his stepdaughter’s messy room during the 2002 Malibu incident.
- He says judges threw out previous abuse allegations.
- He points out he had legal custody of his daughter after the divorce.
Errol told investigators that charges were dropped as part of a divorce settlement. He says two judges rejected the abuse claims, though no court records have turned up to confirm this.
Despite all this, authorities have never convicted Errol Musk of any crime related to these accusations.
Major Incidents and Police Investigations
The allegations stretch over 30 years and led to several police investigations in South Africa and California. Family members have repeatedly gone to authorities and child protective services for help.
1993 Accusation Involving Stepdaughter
The first accusation surfaced in 1993. Errol Musk’s 4-year-old stepdaughter told relatives he touched her inappropriately at the family home in Pretoria.
Her aunt, Elmie Smit, contacted police immediately. Police opened a case based on the family’s report.
South African police confirmed the case number. Later, Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout withdrew the charges as part of her divorce settlement with Errol Musk.
The settlement allegedly included a house, car, and monthly allowance. Errol has denied these claims, saying judges rejected the abuse accusations and gave him custody of his biological daughter with Bezuidenhout.
California Incident and Child Protective Services
In 2002, the family moved into a $2 million Malibu home Elon Musk bought for them. Not long after, the same stepdaughter, now 14, was involved in another serious incident.
She reportedly found Errol Musk sniffing her dirty underwear in her room. Family members filed a complaint with child protective services in Los Angeles.
The court issued a restraining order against Errol Musk. Bezuidenhout filed for divorce in Los Angeles, seeking custody of the children.
The LAPD won’t release investigation records, citing privacy laws. After the incident, Elon Musk moved his father to a boat in Los Angeles, then eventually sent him back to South Africa.
Recent Allegations Involving Youngest Son
In 2023, another allegation surfaced involving Errol Musk’s 5-year-old son. The child reportedly told family members that Errol groped his buttocks.
Family members and a social worker tried to intervene. The case shows just how long these troubling accusations have lingered.
The allegations involve five children and stepchildren over different years and locations. Errol Musk keeps insisting he’s innocent, repeating that the reports are “false and nonsense in the extreme.”
Despite all these investigations and family accusations, he still hasn’t been convicted of any crime.
Role of Family Members and Involvement of Elon Musk
Family members have reached out to Elon Musk for help with the abuse allegations against his father. Elon has offered financial support to affected relatives, but he remains estranged from Errol.
Appeals to Elon Musk for Intervention
Several family members sought Elon’s intervention. Around 2010, one relative wrote Elon a five-page letter detailing the accusations against Errol Musk.
The letter pleaded, “We really need your advice, help and guidance in these matters because we daily see these children suffer.”
No one knows if Elon ever read the letter himself, but his assistant replied to some family members who reached out.
Elmie Smit, whose sister was Errol’s third wife, also emailed Elon about the allegations. Smit says she sometimes got a response from an assistant instead of Elon directly.
Financial Support and Family Dynamics
Elon Musk has provided substantial financial help to his stepfamily and siblings caught up in all this. In 2002, he bought them a $2 million Malibu house when they came to California.
He continues to support relatives financially. His former stepdaughter receives monthly payments from him, and he bought her a car.
“Elon has always been there,” the stepdaughter said, confirming that he remains her main source of support.
Elon once tried to keep family members in California to protect them from Errol. He even considered seeking legal guardianship of the children, but after the 2002 incident, he ended up sending his father back to South Africa.
Estrangement and Public Statements
Elon and Errol Musk’s relationship has been rocky for decades. Elon told Rolling Stone in 2017 that his father had done “almost every evil thing you could possibly think of” during a particularly emotional interview.
In his 2023 authorized biography, Elon revealed he no longer speaks to his father. The rift reportedly started around 2002 after the California allegations.
Despite this, Errol claims they still have a good relationship. He told reporters he and Elon “are very close,” which doesn’t exactly line up with Elon’s public comments.
Elon has mostly kept quiet about his family troubles. Still, the abuse allegations keep pulling him back in as relatives look to him for help and intervention.
Legal Proceedings and Protective Orders
The allegations against Errol Musk have triggered legal actions in both South Africa and California. Three police investigations have taken place, according to records and family accounts, and protective measures were put in place for alleged victims.
Filing of Interim Protection Orders
Family members took legal action to protect children from Errol Musk after abuse allegations. The most significant case happened in 2002 when a restraining order was issued against Errol Musk in Los Angeles.
This restraining order followed an incident where his stepdaughter caught him sniffing her dirty underwear in their Malibu home. Three people familiar with the situation confirmed the family filed for this protective order.
The family also reported complaints to child protective services in Los Angeles during that time. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services wouldn’t comment, citing privacy concerns for the victims.
Court Responses and Outcomes
Court proceedings around the abuse allegations led to mixed results. In 1993, Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout pressed charges in South Africa but withdrew them during the divorce settlement.
Errol Musk says he got custody of his young daughter after the divorce. He claims two judges dismissed the abuse allegations against him.
Investigators couldn’t locate court records to verify these claims. According to Errol Musk, Bezuidenhout could only visit her daughter with a social worker present.
The 2002 Los Angeles court case led to a divorce petition citing “irreconcilable differences.” The court dismissed the petition in 2009 because of inaction.
Law Enforcement Actions
Police in both South Africa and California opened investigations after the abuse reports. The earliest investigation began in 1993 when relatives told South African authorities that a 4-year-old reported inappropriate touching.
South African police confirmed the case existed when family members provided the case number. The police file is still under review, pending public records requests from July.
Another investigation happened in Los Angeles in 2002. The Los Angeles Police Department refused to release records, saying those files were exempt from disclosure.
Status of investigations:
- First investigation (1993): Charges withdrawn
- Second investigation (2002): Records sealed
- Third investigation (2023): Status unclear
The most recent case involved a 5-year-old who reported inappropriate touching in 2023. Family members and social workers tried to intervene, but no one seems to know what happened after that.
Impact on Family and Reactions
The abuse allegations have torn the Musk family apart. Relatives reached out to Elon Musk for help while grappling with long-term trauma.
Family members have started to speak publicly, finally sharing how deeply these accusations have affected them.
Statements by Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout and Other Relatives
Elmie Smit, whose sister was Errol Musk’s third wife, gave her first public interview about the allegations. She said Errol Musk has “left a massive wound in our family.”
Smit has emailed Elon Musk about some of the allegations. Sometimes, she got a reply from an assistant.
She decided to speak up after Errol Musk appeared on a South African podcast in February and said nothing about the family problems.
Key family responses include:
- Relatives wrote a five-page letter to Elon Musk around 2010 asking for help
- Family members said “we daily see these children suffer”
- Some relatives accused Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout of mental health struggles
Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout withdrew charges against Errol Musk as part of a divorce settlement, which included a house, car, and monthly payments. She later remarried him in 1999 after time in psychiatric care.
Long-Term Effects on Children and Family Structure
The allegations have damaged family relationships for more than 30 years. The stepdaughter allegedly abused at age 4 later had a child with Errol Musk in her 20s.
She’s struggled with drug use for years. Elon Musk has continued to support family members financially, sending monthly money and even buying a car for the former stepdaughter.
She said, “Elon has always been there.”
Impact on family structure:
- Three children went to an independent welfare home
- Kimbal Musk said the children “preferred living in the children’s home” over staying with their parents
- Elon Musk tried to keep children in California away from his father
After the 2002 California incident, Elon Musk looked into getting legal guardianship of the children. He moved Errol Musk onto a boat, then sent him back to South Africa. That was the start of their estrangement.
Geographical Context and Jurisdictional Challenges
The allegations against Errol Musk span multiple countries, and honestly, the legal maze is daunting. The claims of physical and emotional abuse stretch across different eras and legal systems.
Incidents in South Africa
Most reported abuse allegations happened during Elon Musk’s childhood in South Africa. The physical violence incidents supposedly took place when Elon was very young.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, South African law didn’t offer the same child protections as today. The apartheid-era system focused more on racial segregation than child welfare.
Key jurisdictional factors:
- Statute of limitations for historical abuse cases
- Changes in South African family law since the 1980s
- Limited documentation from decades-old incidents
- Challenges in gathering witness testimony after 40+ years
Any legal action in South Africa would have to reckon with laws that have changed a lot since Elon Musk’s childhood.
Events in California
Most of the abuse allegations focus on South Africa, but their effects followed Elon Musk to California. His former wife Justine Wilson said Errol’s influence affected their marriage.
California has strict child protection laws and longer statutes of limitations for abuse cases. Still, the alleged incidents happened outside U.S. jurisdiction.
California legal considerations:
- No direct jurisdiction over South African incidents
- Possible civil remedies for ongoing psychological impacts
- Family court records from Musk’s divorce proceedings
- Testimony from people in California-based relationships
The distance between where the abuse happened and where its effects showed up makes the legal process even messier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Allegations against Errol Musk involve several family members and span more than thirty years. Police opened investigations, and family members turned to Elon Musk for help.
What are the allegations surfaced against Errol Musk regarding his children?
Errol Musk has been accused of sexually abusing five of his children and stepchildren since 1993. The claims cover multiple incidents over different years.
The first accusation came in 1993, when his 4-year-old stepdaughter told relatives he touched her. About ten years later, the same stepdaughter said she caught him sniffing her dirty underwear.
Family members have also accused Errol Musk of abusing two daughters and a stepson. In 2023, his then 5-year-old son reportedly said his father groped his buttocks.
Has Errol Musk responded to the accusations of sexual abuse?
Errol Musk called the reports “false and nonsense in the extreme” when The New York Times asked him. He insisted family members made up the accusations.
He claimed relatives were “putting the children up to say false things” and trying to get money from Elon Musk. The 79-year-old said he only knew about one abuse allegation, but he did offer explanations for two other incidents in the same message.
What legal actions have been taken in the case of Errol Musk’s alleged misconduct?
Police and court records show three separate investigations. Two inquiries ended, and the status of the third remains unclear.
A California court issued a restraining order against Errol Musk. Family members also filed a complaint with child protective services in Los Angeles.
Errol Musk’s third wife withdrew charges against him as part of a divorce settlement that included a house, car, and monthly allowance.
Errol Musk has not been convicted of any crime despite the investigations and allegations.
How have these accusations against Errol Musk impacted his family relationships?
The abuse allegations shook the Musk family. Some relatives reached out to Elon Musk for help.
Around 2010, one family member wrote Elon Musk a five-page letter about the accusations, asking him to help the children.
Elon Musk has provided financial support for his stepfamily and siblings. He once tried to keep family members in California to keep them away from his father.
Elon Musk told Rolling Stone in 2017 that his father had done “almost every evil thing you could possibly think of”. In 2023, he said he no longer speaks to Errol Musk.
What are the primary sources of information about the claims against Errol Musk?
The New York Times investigated by reviewing court and police documents from California and South Africa. They also looked at more than 50 emails, texts, and personal letters.
The Times interviewed family members, social workers, and people close to the Musks. Some asked for anonymity because of how sensitive the allegations are.
Police and courts in South Africa and Los Angeles refused to release some records, citing children’s privacy as the reason for withholding documents.
What measures are being taken to ensure a fair investigation into the allegations against Errol Musk?
The Times filed public records requests for case files with South African police. Right now, the police haven’t made a decision about those requests.
Some jurisdictions decided to keep certain records sealed. They want to protect the privacy of the children involved—understandable, honestly.
This includes investigation records from the Los Angeles Police Department.
Social workers and child protective services got contacted on several occasions. When new allegations surfaced, family members also reached out to the authorities.
