The War Of The Musks

The rift between Elon and his dad, Errol, has grown with news that the tech giant’s father made his stepdaughter pregnant

- Pieter Van Zyl & Marelize Potgieter

HE’S described as the Thomas Edison of the 21st century – a visionary and pioneer who sends rockets into space, builds technologically advanced electric cars and wants to colonise Mars.

In fact, it seems there’s little that entrepreneur extraordinaire Elon Musk can’t do when he sets his mind to it and he has an $18,9 billion (R217 billion) fortune to fund his dreams.

But there’s one thing no amount of money can buy: family harmony.

Because when it comes to his clan, to describe them as complicated would be an understatement.

At the heart of the unhappiness and drama is Errol, Elon’s 72-year-old father – and a man he clearly can’t stand.

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine the 46-year-old SpaceX founder describes his father as “such a terrible human being – you have no idea”.

“My dad will have a carefully thought-out plan of evil,” he said, tears streaming down his face. “He’ll plan evil. Almost every crime you can think of, he’s done. Almost every evil thing you could possibly think of, he’s done. It’s so terrible, you can’t believe.”

Errol’s most recent deed has been to father a child with his stepdaughter, a woman 42 years his junior.

He apparently impregnated his stepdaughter “in the heat of the moment”, he says, and the result is a 10-month-old baby boy.

The child and his mom, Jana Bezuidenhout (30), have a room in Errol’s spacious double-storey home in Langebaan on the Cape West Coast.

Sources close to the family tell us they’re furious and believe Errol took advantage of Jana and her mom, Heide- Marie (53), over the years.