Elon Musk, founder of Tesla and SpaceX, a child from South Africa

Text by: Noé Hochet-Bodin Follow

After the successful launch of the SpaceX rocket, the two astronauts arrived on Sunday in the International Space Station. A rocket launched by a private company is a first. It is also a winning bet for the billionaire Elon Musk who had invested since 2004 to get there. Musk's adventures and innovations are fascinating in South Africa, of which he holds the nationality. Indeed, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX was born and raised in the capital Pretoria, a childhood under the apartheid regime.

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From our correspondent in South Africa,

Born to a South African father and a Canadian mother, Elon Musk spent his childhood in an upscale district of the capital Pretoria. He will admit it later, it's not the best years of his life.

For several reasons, firstly because the young Elon is constantly the head in his books. He quickly became the painkiller of his school and made numerous stays in hospital.

Then because his parents are separating, and he will be forced to live with his father, a "deeply evil man" according to his words.

Finally because the American dream sticks to his skin from an early age. For him it will be the United States or nothing, "the land of all opportunities" he said again last week.

So at 17, Musk leaves with the few hundred dollars he has gleaned by creating a video game program. Direction Canada then the United States. A departure which allows him to escape military service then compulsory under the apartheid regime.

Today he holds three passports, South African, Canadian and American. So, the billionaire almost never goes to South Africa, but he will surely be brought there in the future because Tesla will start to market cars there this year and may soon be solar panels, already used in neighboring Zimbabwe.

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• South Africa
• United States

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