New York Times Details Allegations Against Errol Musk, Including Claims He Sexually Abused Five Children and Stepchildren
The New York Times reports decades of accusations across South Africa and California, with denials from Errol Musk and tension within the Musk family.
A New York Times investigation details decades of accusations that Errol Musk, the 79-year-old ex-politician and father of tech billionaire Elon Musk, sexually abused five of his children and stepchildren. The report, based on police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers’ notes, and interviews with relatives, portrays a strained and complicated family history that has strained relations between Errol and Elon Musk. The Times notes that the allegations span at least two jurisdictions, including South Africa and California, and that no criminal conviction has resulted from the accusations.
The oldest claim traces to 1993, when Errol’s then 4-year-old stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout told family members that she had been touched inappropriately by him. Ten years later, Bezuidenhout told relatives that she had allegedly caught Errol sniffing her underwear in her bedroom, an incident she reported to relatives who notified Elon Musk. Errol has consistently denied the claims, saying he was only cleaning the room—an explanation he repeated to the New York Times as he rejected the allegations as “nonsense” and “absurd.” Family members told the Times that the episode fell within a pattern of troubling behavior, and multiple relatives say they believed the claims were serious enough to involve police.
The Times’s account also describes additional accusations involving two of Errol’s daughters and a stepson. It notes that the stepdaughter and Errol became intimate when she was in her late 20s, a relationship that produced two children. The report emphasizes that the situation is complex and contested within the family, with Errol denying the sexual abuse allegations and calling the family members’ statements incomplete or false. The Times states that authorities were informed in at least one of the cases, but prosecutors ultimately did not file charges due to what they described as insufficient evidence. Errol told the Times that the accusations were “nonsense” and that relatives “put the children up to say false things” to pressure Elon.
The article also recounts a 2022 incident in which a then-5-year-old son told relatives that Errol had grabbed his buttocks. Relatives relayed the account to police, but the case was not pursued further because investigators said there was insufficient evidence and the child’s account could not be substantiated. Errol reiterated to the Times that he had not harmed the child and attributed the claim to false impressions or deceit, once again characterizing the allegations as untrue. The Times reports that several family members described a pattern of fear and grievance within the Musk family and indicated that some relatives have sought Elon Musk’s help or support amid the disputes.
The Times also documents a separate financial detail linked to Elon Musk, reporting that in 2023 the Tesla CEO, now 54, was paying about $1,700 a month to support his former stepsister. Representatives for Elon Musk did not respond to a request for comment from Page Six at the time of publication, and the Times notes that it could not verify all private financial arrangements independently.
Errol Musk, who once served as a member of the Progressive Federal Party in South Africa, has repeatedly denied the allegations and spoken against what he describes as a pattern of manipulation by relatives seeking to exploit the family for financial gain. He has not been convicted of any crime related to the allegations. In interviews with the Times, he asserted that the reports were false and insisted that the family’s accusations stemmed from disputes and money-seeking motives rather than facts. Some relatives, however, described a long and troubling history that shaped the family’s dynamics and left Elon Musk with a difficult relationship with his father.
The NYT’s reporting emphasizes that the Musk family’s private turmoil unfolded against the backdrop of a highly publicized business empire and a family lineage that has been scrutinized by managers, fans, and media outlets around the world. While the Times provides a detailed timeline of alleged incidents and responses from Errol and family members, it also makes clear that the allegations have not led to criminal charges or a court finding of guilt. The report highlights the complexities of whether and how such allegations should be weighed in assessing a father-child relationship that spans decades and includes both affection and alleged harm. The protests, denials, and defensiveness described in the article illustrate how family disputes can intersect with high-profile personalities and public interest in the lives of public figures.
The New York Times notes that Elon Musk and his relatives have faced pressure and scrutiny for years, often tied to questions about family loyalty, wealth, and the line between private life and public persona. The Times’ detailed efforts to verify events rely on interviews with relatives, police and court records, and internal communications reviewed by the newspaper, all of which paint a portrait of a family fractured by allegations that are difficult to prove or disprove conclusively. In the absence of criminal charges or a court ruling, the public record presents a cautious and contested narrative in which the claims of abuse remain allegations, the denials remain categorical, and the family’s long-running tensions continue to unfold in the court of public opinion.