10 Old Photos of Jana Bezuidenhout: The Stepdaughter Elon Musk's Dad, Eroll, Allegedly Groomed and Has Two Children With

A New York Times investigation published this week alleges decades of abuse within the Musk family, centred in part on Jana Bezuidenhout, the woman Errol Musk once raised and later fathered children with.

Errol Musk, the estranged father of Elon Musk, is accused by five children and stepchildren of sexual abuse stretching back to 1993, according to a report that draws on letters, emails, court records and family interviews.

Those allegations, denied by Errol, who has called them 'nonsense', sit alongside a separate, well-documented strand of controversy: Mr Musk has publicly acknowledged fathering children with Jana Bezuidenhout, a woman he first knew when she was a child in his household.

Allegations Over Three Decades

The New York Times investigation detailed how five family members have accused Errol Musk of sexual misconduct spanning South Africa and California, with the earliest complaint dating to 1993 when a four-year-old stepdaughter told relatives he 'touched' her.

The reporting details further episodes that relatives say were reported to police and social workers, including an allegation that the same stepdaughter later said she had seen him sniffing her soiled underwear, and says three law-enforcement inquiries were opened though none resulted in criminal conviction.

Family correspondence and court filings cited in the investigation also describe long-running dysfunction: substance misuse, homelessness and repeated interventions by relatives seeking help from Elon Musk and others.

The reporting makes clear these are serious, contested claims and that Errol Musk has strongly disputed them.

Errol Musk's Own Accounts

Errol Musk has spoken at length in several recorded interviews over recent years, material that is part of the public record and which provides his account of family relationships. In a 2022 interview with The Sun, he openly discussed fathering children with Jana Bezuidenhout and said the relationship produced a second child in 2019, describing the births as 'unplanned'.

He has reiterated his position in later podcast and radio appearances, including an extended Podcast and Chill interview and a segment for the Kyle & Jackie O show, in which he addresses family dynamics, his estrangement from Elon and his view that reproduction is central to life.

Those recordings show an outspoken, unrepentant public persona even as the most serious allegations have come to light through other family members' accounts.

At the same time, Errol Musk has categorically rejected the abuse claims as 'nonsense' and 'false', telling reporters that some relatives are attempting to extort Elon Musk and that there is 'no evidence'.

That denial is recorded in correspondence with journalists and quoted in the reporting that summarises the NYT investigation. Journalists who reviewed files and interviewed relatives present the denials alongside the allegations; neither side has produced a criminal conviction to resolve contested factual claims.

Who is Jana Bezuidenhout?

Jana Bezuidenhout's story, as set out in court documents and family testimony, is complex. She was described in reports as having been raised by Heide Bezuidenhout (Errol's second wife), re-entered Errol Musk's life as an adult, later became romantically involved and then had children with him.

Several reputable outlets note that Jana was about four when Errol first became a stepfather figure in the household and that, decades later, she and Errol had at least one child together in 2017 and, by some accounts, another in 2019.

Relatives' letters and social-work files described in the investigation depict a woman who struggled with addiction and instability at points in her adult life, and who sought help from family — details that reporters say help explain why some relatives repeatedly approached Elon Musk for assistance.

The allegations against Errol Musk, combined with his controversial relationship with Jana Bezuidenhout, have cast a long shadow over one of the world's most prominent families. While Errol maintains his innocence and insists the accusations are fabrications, the testimonies from relatives and the paper trail of letters, court documents and interviews ensure that questions will continue to follow him.