“He’s So Embedded in America”: JP Van Der Spuy and Podcaster Calls Out Elon Musk for Not Claiming SA

• A South African podcaster and his guest expressed frustration over Elon Musk's apparent reluctance to acknowledge his South African roots
• During the podcast, both men agreed that despite being born and raised in Pretoria until age 17, the world's wealthiest person seems to have completely abandoned his South African identity
• The discussion sparked mixed reactions from South Africans online, with many defending Musk's choice to distance himself from his birthplace, citing their own decisions to emigrate

A South African podcaster has publicly called out billionaire Elon Musk for failing to acknowledge his South African heritage.

Content creator @StoryTimePodcast shared a clip from his show on Facebook where he and his guest, JP van der Spuy, discussed their frustration with Musk's apparent abandonment of his South African identity.

The conversation touched on how the world's wealthiest person, despite being born and raised in Pretoria, South Africa, never publicly embraces his roots.

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Watch the Facebook reel below.

Heritage debate ignites

During the exchange, the guest guest, JP van der Spuy expressed his wish for Musk to embrace his origins stating:

"And Elon, if you ever watch this, I would like Elon to come out and just be like, you know, 'I'm South African.' Why has he never done that? So irritating. I just think someone needs to remind him, but he's so embedded in America, but like, he's a South African. He should just acknowledge or see South Africa."

The podcaster agreed, adding:

"I hundred percent agree with you."

The conversation also briefly touched on another famous South African-born celebrity, Charlize Theron, whom they described as now fully American, suggesting a pattern of South African celebrities distancing themselves from their birthplace after achieving international fame.

Born in Pretoria on June 28, 1971, Musk spent his formative years in South Africa before emigrating to Canada at age 17. He later moved to the United States, where he built his business empire including Tesla, SpaceX, and more recently acquired Twitter (which he rebranded as X).

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South Africans respond

The video elicited varied responses from South Africans, with many defending Musk's choice to distance himself from his birthplace:

@MarietjieHarmse shared her personal experience:

"I'm South African and don't want to be one. I left for a reason and make Australia my home and so did he. No interest to go back where I left for a reason. Good on him."

@LauretteMoon questioned the premise:

"Why would he want to be associated with a failed state that won't allow him to do what he does?"

@RiaanSwanepoel provided context:

"He's half Canadian to begin with and he left SA when he was 17. He's probably more Canadian than he's ever been SA'n. Stop trying to get claim the dude. 😂"

@AjBuys asked rhetorically:

"Who want to come back to South Africa if you already left the country?"

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@AraratAlShaaid suggested a solution:

"Wish Elon could start an agency or something to help you guys immigrate overseas. I don't want you to feel forced to stay in a country you not happy in, it's a failed state."

Similar Elon Musk stories

• Briefly News recently reported on singer Grimes who became the second mother of Musk's children to publicly call him out on social media in a single week.
• MK Party's Mzwanele Manyi faced severe backlash from South Africans after sharing a fake tweet supposedly from Musk.
• The South African-born billionaire's electric car company Tesla recently lost $89 billion in market share due to slowing European sales after him and his brand have become increasingly unpopular consumer choices in European markets.

Source: Briefly News