That’s not what these journalists reported. Are they lying?
Elon Musk Left a South Africa That Was Rife With Misinformation and White Privilege (Published 2022)
The apartheid era created all-white enclaves littered with anti-Black government propaganda and sheltered from the atrocities of apartheid.
By John Eligon and Lynsey Chutel
John Eligon and Lynsey Chutel interviewed 13 acquaintances or family members of Elon Musk over the course of five days, reporting from Johannesburg and Pretoria.
- Published May 5, 2022Updated May 11, 202
“Classmates at two high schools he attended described him as a loner with no close friends. None offered recollections of things he said or did that revealed his views on the politics of the time. But Black schoolmates recall that he spent time with Black friends.”
“As far as being sheltered from it, that’s nonsense. They were confronted by it every day,” recalled Errol, who said he belonged to the anti-apartheid Progressive Party. He added, “They didn’t like it.”
According to a biography of Mr. Musk, written by Ashlee Vance, Mr. Musk said he did not want to partake in South Africa’s mandatory military service because it would have forced him to participate in the apartheid regime — and that may have contributed to his decision to leave South Africa shortly after high school graduation.”
“Mr. Musk became friends with a cousin of Mr. Netshituka’s, Asher Mashudu, according to Mr. Mashudu’s brother, Nyadzani Ranwashe. One time at lunch, a white student used an anti-Black slur, and Mr. Musk chided the student, but then got bullied for doing so, Mr. Ranwashe said.”
