Elon Musk Sets Record Straight About Emerald Mines, Had R1.5m Student Debt
- Elon Musk has set the record straight about claims that his family made its fortune through apartheid emerald mines
- He rubbished the idea and said he'd arrive in Canada with $2 500 (R38 000) and went into R1.5 million student debt
- Musk took to Twitter and laid down a number of facts about his past and that there was no apartheid emerald mine
PAY ATTENTION: Join Briefly News' Telegram channel! Never miss important updates!
Elon Musk has finally spoken out against claims that his family made their fortune through emerald mines during apartheid.
An article that ran on the satirical site The Onion recently reignited the debate over the source of Musk's fortune.
Musk took to Twitter to clear the air about his family and their wealth and reveals that the article is false and he'd arrived in Canada in 1989 with just R38 000 ($2 500).
Source: Getty Images
He went further to explain that he'd gone into debt to the tune of R1.5 million in student fees ($100 000).
Musk also states that there was never an emerald mine and no connection to apartheid, he'd actually left the country to avoid conscription. He explained that for the past 20 years he and his brother had supported his father and extended family.
The Save Journalism Committee interview Musk, the billionaire shared the article and said it told the truth about him.
He posted a short piece on Twitter explaining that an article published by another publication was not accurate.
"This article is false.
- I arrived by myself in Canada in ‘89 with ~CA$2500
- Paid my own way through college, ending with ~$100k student debt
- Started 1st company with no funding & just one computer I built
- There’s no evidence whatsoever of an “emerald mine”
My father & his extended family have been dependent on financial support from my brother & me for over 20 years."
Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that a Kenyan man identified as Kabuu Kihara has pitched an online proposal at Elon Musk on how the billionaire can invest his Tesla company in Africa.
The young entrepreneur explained to the world's second-richest man that he has an idea of how his car company can venture into the African market at affordable prices.
This is what Kihara posted on his Twitter page.
''Hey @elonmusk, I am an entrepreneur based in Kenya. I have a great proposal on how Tesla can break into the African market while still keeping the prices of the vehicles relatively affordable. This is me shooting my shot, I hope to hear from you.''
Enjoyed reading our story? Download BRIEFLY's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Source: Briefly News
