New York Times investigation details allegations against Errol Musk, Elon Musk's father

A New York Times investigation documents allegations that Errol Musk, the estranged father of tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, sexually abused five of his children and stepchildren. The report draws on police and court records, personal correspondence, social workers’ files and interviews with family members, spanning decades and two continents, including South Africa and California. Elon Musk has publicly acknowledged a troubled relationship with his father, who has repeatedly denied the charges. The Times emphasizes that no one has been convicted and no criminal charges have been filed in connection with the allegations.

According to the Times, the oldest claim dates to 1993, when Errol’s stepdaughter Jana Bezuidenhout, then four years old, told family members that he had touched her inappropriately. A decade later, Bezuidenhout told relatives she had allegedly walked in on him sniffing her underwear in her bedroom. Relatives alerted the police, and Elon Musk was informed of the incidents. Errol Musk has denied the claims, telling the Times that there is no evidence because the reports are false and that the allegations are nonsense. He suggested that relatives may have persuaded the children to say things to extract money from Elon.

Relatives also allege that Errol abused two of his daughters and a stepson. The Times notes that some of these episodes were looked into by authorities in South Africa and California, but prosecutors did not pursue charges after reviewing available evidence. In 2022, a then-5-year-old son of Errol and his former wife Heide-Mari Bezuidenhout claimed Errol had grabbed his buttocks, a report that prompted a police inquiry but did not lead to charges. The relatives say the accusations contributed to a long-running rift between Elon Musk and his father, even as the billionaire has built a global business empire.

Errol Musk has repeatedly described the allegations as manufactured by relatives seeking financial gain from Elon. He told the Times he is aware of only one credible abuse accusation and offered explanations for other incidents, arguing that the family disputes have been exploited to extract money. He said the reports are nonsense and denied any sustained pattern of abuse, while emphasizing that he has never been convicted of a crime.

In 2023, records reviewed by the Times show Elon Musk was paying roughly $1,700 a month to support his former stepsister, a detail illustrating how family ties and financial entanglements have persisted even as Elon has become one of the world’s most influential business leaders. The Times’ account relies on thousands of documents and interviews, and it underscores how a prominent public figure’s personal history can intersect with a high-profile professional life without definitive legal resolutions.

The Times stresses that the alleged abuses span years and continents, but it also notes that some inquiries ended without charges and that some relatives pressed Elon for help as the family dispute persisted. The article does not imply proven wrongdoing by Elon Musk, who is not alleged to have committed any crime, and it highlights the ongoing tension between the billionaire and his father as a defining aspect of their family narrative.